Bhadrapad Krishna 5 Vik. Samvat 2079, Yugabda 5124 : 16 August, 2022:SM 4010 (For Private Circulation only)
1. FESTIVALS: GANESH CHATURTHI: Ganesh Chaturthi, also
known as 'Vinayak Chaturthi' is observed on the Shukla Chaturthi of Bhadrapada
month (August 31 this year).
In 1893, when the British banned political assemblies, the festival was revived by the Bharatiya nationalist leader Bal Gangadhar Tilak. Hindus across the world enthusiastically celebrate the festival with pujas in temples, Ganesh murti making workshops for children and other community events. -GoTop
2. RASHTRAPATI DROUPADI MURMU GREETED THE NATION ON THE EVE OF INDEPENDENCE DAY: Extending her greetings to all Bharatiyas on the eve of Independence Day, Rashtrapati Droupadi Murmu said that Bharat is completing 75 years as an independent nation. She also said that August 14 is observed as ‘Partition Horrors Remembrance Day’ to promote social harmony, unity, and empowerment of people.
She stated that conserving water, soil and biodiversity is our duty towards our children and noted that with a traditional lifestyle, Bharatiyas can show the way to the rest of the world. She also said that Yoga and Ayurveda are Bharat's invaluable gifts to the world and their popularity is on the rise all over the globe. -GoTop
3. PRADHAN MANTRI NARENDRA MODI : AUGUST 15 SPEECH: In his address for the 76th Independence Day at the Red Fort, Pradhan Mantri Narendra Modi said that the world today looks at Bharat with pride, hope, as a problem solver and as a destination where aspirations are met.
4. VISHWA SANGH SHIKSHA VARG CONCLUDED IN BHOPAL: The dwiteeya varsh Vishwa Sangh Shiksha Varg in Bhopal concluded on August 7. The varg for swayamsevaks was held from July 17 to August 7, while the varg for sevikas was from July 21 to August 7 at separate locations in Bhopal. 51 swayamsevaks from 13 countries and 30 sevikas from 8 countries participated in it. A combined public function of both vargs together was held at People’s Mall in Bhopal on August 6.
5. REFRAIN FROM POLITICS OVER ‘AZADI KA AMRIT MAHOTSAV’ : SUNIL AMBEKAR: In an appeal to participate in celebrations of ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’, the 75 years of Independence, RSS Akhil Bharatiya Prachar Pramukh Sunil Ambekar urged the countrymen to refrain from indulging in petty politics over the celebrations.
6. LOK IS ETERNAL, REFLECTS BHARATIYA VALUES: J NANDAKUMAR: On July 25, a discussion on the book ‘Lok, Beyond Folk’ was organised by HOPE (House of Political Empowerment: Research and Innovation Foundation) at Delhi University. ‘Lok, Beyond Folk’ is an attempt to understand the culture of the nation beyond the established notions. On the occasion, editor of the book and chief guest of the programme, the National Convenor of Prajna Pravah Shri Nandakumar said, “Lok is Eternal, reflects Bharatiya Values. Now is the time to regain our cultural values again. The buildings built by foreign invaders are part of the history curriculum but the art and culture of ancient palaces, constructed by Bharatiya rulers, not included in history textbooks. We have to work to make India as Bharat.”
7. SHRI DHANKHAR SWORN IN AS UPARASHTAPATI OF BHARAT: Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar took oath as the 14th Uprashtrapati of Bharat on August 11. He was administered the oath of office by Rashtrapati Droupadi Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. Shri Dhankhar succeeds M. Venkaiah Naidu, whose term ended on August 10.
8. HSS UK –SANGH SAHIKSHA VARG 2022: After a gap of 3 years, in-person Sangh Shiksha Varg was conducted by Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh HSS UK from July 23 - 31. More than 400 people attended the Ganesh Puja that heralded an auspicious beginning of the varg.
9. THERESA PRAISES HSS (UK) AT LARGEST YOUTH EVENT OF NEXT GENERATION LEADERS: At the concluding ceremony of a 10-day intensive leadership training course known as Sangh Shiksha Varg (SSV) - conducted by Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh HSS UK - chief guest Rt Hon. Theresa Villiers MP congratulated HSS (UK) for the work done during Covid and the continued contribution Hindus make as integral members of UK society. Around 800 people attended the event.
10. HSS USA HOUSTON VIBHAG: On August 6, Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh HSS USA, Houston vibhag volunteered at Books Between Kids warehouse.
11. HSS RAKSHABANDHAN UTSAVS: Balagokulam Naperville Aurora: On August 12 HSS families appreciated Aurora’s Fire Fighters and Aurora’s Diversity & Equity officials by celebrating Rakshabandhan - Universal Oneness Day - and tying Rakhi to them. HSS volunteers also presented ‘Hindu Exhibition-Darshana coffee Table book’ to the City officials.
12. BHARAT MATA POOJAN BY HSS JAPAN: August 11 – Mountain Day - was a national holiday in Japan and also the day of Rakshabandhan. On this day, Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh HSS Japan conducted Bharat Mata Poojan in Tokyo during which rakhi was tied to Tiranga and Bhagwa Dhwaj. 75 swayamsevaks participated in it. To commemorate the 75th independence anniversary of Bharat, Tiranga run covering 75 kms was undertaken to ten historic and prominent places around Tokyo. It included Tokyo’s most revered Asakusa Temple whose rich history and architecture indicates the cultural coherence between Bharat and Japan.
13. FIRST EVER DHARMAFEST RECEIVES COMMUNITY SUPPORT: New Zealand’s first ever DharmaFest, with the theme 'Vibhinnatāyām Ekatvam' - Unity in Diversity, was launched at the Mahatma Gandhi Centre in Auckland by Hindu Youth New Zealand (HYNZ) on August 7. Representatives from Hindu, Jain, Buddhist and Sikh communities recited their traditional prayers and blessed the proceedings.
Murali Krishna Magesan, Coordinator of DharmaFest said, “It paves a road for real positive engagement and opportunity to improve social cohesion within Aotearoa”
All community leaders appreciated the youth-led DharmaFest initiative for making it as a family-friendly event. This free public event gave everyone an opportunity to explore and experience some of the most ancient diverse cultures, arts, crafts, yoga, meditation and ayurveda. Around 1,000 people attended the event. -GoTop
14. GRADUATION CEREMONY OF COUNSELOR OF HINDU TRADITIONS: Hindu Council of Australia (HCA) in collaboration and partnership with Hindu Community Institute (HCI) has commenced a unique spiritual care program called Counsellor of Hindu Traditions (CHT). Graduation ceremony of the first batch of CHT will be held on August 20 in Strathfield, near Sydney.
15. OVER 28 LAKH BHARATIYAS WENT ABROAD FOR WORK IN PAST 2.5 YEARS: GOVERNMENT DATA: Government data shows that more than 28 lakh Bharatiyas went abroad for employment between January 2020 and July 2022. The data also reveals that at least 4.16 lakh Bharatiyas have left Bharat for private jobs in the Emigration Check Required (ECR) countries during the said period. The ministry of external affairs mentioned this in a written statement in the Lok Sabha. The numbers suggest that there has been a consistent increase in the tally. In 2020, around 7.15 lakh Bharatiyas went abroad for work, while in 2021, this increased to 8.33 lakh. This year, up to the end of July, 13.02 lakh Bharatiyas had gone abroad for work. -GoTop
16. UK ROYAL MINT LAUNCHES NEW GOLD BAR FOR GANESH CHATURTHI: The UK’s Royal Mint has issued a new 24-carat gold bar engraved with an image of Bhagwan Ganesh for sale in the lead up to Ganesh Chaturthi on August 31, marking an expansion of its Bharatiya-inspired gold minted bullion bar range.
17. "INDIA PROVIDED LANKA 'A BREATH OF LIFE' DURING CRISIS", SAYS PRESIDENT WICKREMESINGHE: On August 3, newly elected President of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe thanked Bharat for its support. He said that under the leadership of Pradhan Mantri Narendra Modi, Bharat has provided the crisis-hit island nation "a breath of life" in tough times.
President Wickremesinghe made the remarks while presenting the government's policy statement during the third session of Parliament during which he invited political parties to form an all-party government.
18. ROOPALI DESAI BECOMES FIRST SOUTH ASIAN JUDGE TO SERVE ON US COURT OF APPEALS: The US Senate has confirmed Bharatiya American litigator Roopali H Desai to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, making her the first South Asian judge to serve on this court.
Desai was confirmed by the Senate by a bipartisan vote of 67-29 on August 4.
Headquartered in San Francisco, California, the Ninth Circuit is by far the largest of the thirteen courts of appeals, covering a total of nine states and two territories and with 29 active judgeships.
19. IN A FIRST, US WARSHIP ARRIVES IN BHARAT FOR REPAIRS, MAINTENANCE: The Bharatiya shipbuilding industry achieved a major milestone when a US warship arrived Bharat for the first time for repairs and maintenance on August 7. It also marked the growing Defence and strategic ties between the two countries. Providing a huge boost to “Make in India” and “Aatmanirbharta in Defence” and adding a new dimension to the burgeoning Bharat-US strategic partnership, US Navy Ship Charles Drew arrived at Larsen and Toubro’s (L&T) shipyard at Kattupalli, Chennai for undertaking repairs and allied services. The ship will be at the Kattupalli shipyard for a period of 11 days and undergo repairs in various areas.
20. CSIR GETS FIRST WOMAN DIRECTOR GENERAL: Senior electrochemical scientist Nallathamby Kalaiselvi has become the first woman director general of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, a consortium of 38 state-run research institutes across the country. An order of the personnel ministry on August 6 said that her appointment is for a period of two years. Kalaiselvi succeeds Shekhar Mande, who superannuated in April.
21. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN: Pravas: Saumitra Gokhale - Vishwa vibhag samyojak will travel to Singapore and USA.
Visitors: Hemant Panchpor - Canada, Dinesh Mani Dubey - Thailand, Hridayanshu - USA. -GoTop
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Thoughts come and go. Feelings come and go. Find out
what it is that remains. ― Sri Ramana Maharishi
-GoTop
JAI SHRI RAM
---
AZADI KA AMRIT MAHOTSAV
RSS SARSANGHCHALAK DR MOHAN BHAGWAT
On 15th August’22, Bharat will complete 75 years of Independence. To celebrate
this Amrit Mahotsav of Freedom, various programs and events have already begun
and will continue throughout the year.
We are in a festive mood, but that does not mean that we don’t have any
challenges or issues in front of us. Though some issues were resolved , some new
issues have also emerged. Despite all obstacles, the happiness and joy of this
Amrit Mahotsava is obvious and natural.
On 15th August 1947, after many centuries, we were able to establish
self-governance and organize an arrangement of self-rule as per our wishes;
under our system, under our flag, over a large area of the Bharat.
This independence also reminds us of the elongated period of slavery, hardships,
and constant battles that Bharatiya fought without deviating from the sole goal
of complete Independence. From a geographical view, this struggle of the
Bharatiya people against foreign powers was broad-based, widespread, and
all-encompassing. All sections of society contributed to the freedom movement as
per their ability, power, and strength. Society slowly grew aware of those
components that were posing obstacles in the way of our freedom.
While the various armed and unarmed struggles for freedom kept strengthening,
efforts were also undertaken to cleanse the society of social evils and to
awaken the society to get organized to work with collective interest.
Thanks to these relentless efforts, on 15th August 1947, we arrived at a
position to self-govern our land as per our will, as per our wish, as per our
choice, by our very own people. From here on, we bid adieu to the British rulers
and took control of running, operating, and administering our nation.
So, it is only appropriate and obvious, we relish this festive mood with
enthusiasm and an atmosphere of celebrations as our motherland completes 75
years of independence.
During this extended & protracted freedom battle, a significant number of
people, who are real heroes, sacrificed everything including their lives. Their
stories should be brought out and spread across society for the society to
imbibe, adopt and be inspired by their character, sense of patriotism and their
devotion towards motherland. (There were many small and big incidents, small and
big events, small and big acts that left an everlasting impact on our vast
nation)
The purpose, resolutions and the duties they worked for should be remembered and
such focus rejuvenation ought to be dedicated to them.
Why does the country need Swarajya?
Why can’t a county be controlled by an alien nation that does good for the
citizens of the country and for the well-being of the nation?
Self-rule and natural expression are fundamental for any society. Thus, the need
for freedom provides instinctive inspiration. A country can be governed well
only when it’s free and can decide for itself.
Swami Vivekananda once said, “Every nation takes birth and then it rises to
contribute something meaningful to the life of the world.” To contribute to
anything, the nation must be both free and capable at the same time. These are
basic and thus essential.
The revered RabindraNath Tagore, through his famous poem “चित्तजेथाभयशून्य, उन्नतजतोशिर”
and Mahatma Gandhi, through
his ‘Hind-Swaraj’ quotes elaborated on concepts about free Bharat . Freedom
fighter Veer Savarkar in his famous Swatantra Devi Aarti spoke about collective
well-being and sublime excellence. We also can’t miss out on the contribution
and two famous speeches of Dr. B. R Ambedkar, where he spoke of the meaning,
purpose, and reasoning of freedom and the duties every bharatiya should follow
and pursue to build a great nation.
In line with the celebrations of Amrit Mahotsava, we should also introspect that
if the very purpose of freedom was to achieve self–reliance, then, in 75 years,
is Bharat completely self-reliant as yet?
If Bharat has to contribute meaningfully to the world, does it first need to
stand on its own feet wholesomely, and has Bharat attained self-dependence
across all spheres?
In 1947, we took an oath of making Bharat the greatest and bringing an era where
Bharat will show the light, the path, and lead the rest of the world. But, for
that, we need clarity, specificity, and a sense of direction in both our
thoughts and actions.
The greatest characteristic of Bharat’s eternal vision, its thoughts, and its
culture is oneness, wholesomeness, sampoorna. This is the message it sends to
the world by its conduct. Oneness is natural, free of conflict, all-inclusive,
based on experienced,logical and scientific truth and harmony that can sustain
forever.
Diversity is a mere expression of unity and not an expression of differences.
For being one, one need not be the same. If one forces it, then it leads to
discord and disharmony. We need to understand and respect each other’s
differences and take them all along to build a unified society.
We are all dedicated sons of MaaBharati. It is what connects us. Our eternal
culture of being kind, friendly, loving with affinity gives rise to knowledge in
our hearts.
From the holiness of one’s heart to the cleanliness of nature, this purity gives
rise to knowledge and wisdom. From ancient and historic times, our forefathers
have been guiding us to progress, proceed and move ahead on this path of
knowledge.Understanding our commonality of being sons of the same soil,
respecting the differences, leaving selfish attitudes behind, avoiding any
discrimination and nation first approach in every context is the need of the
hour. The entire society should come together and stand up with such beliefs.
Due to the passage of time, certain evils continue to plague our society -
discrimination, petty selfishness, etc. These arise from the desire for worldly
benefits, for wealth, and for materialistic gratification, etc., and complicit
our mind, words, and deeds.
To be free from these entanglements, one has to lead an exemplary life of good
conduct. Such enlightened souls (examples) help in building equitable societies.
And such societies that are equitable and free from exploitation create an inner
force that protects freedom.
There are enough agencies, powers, and people who are working in their selfish
interests to divide society by confusing, provoking, or creating conflicts
amongst various sections of the society. These groups operate not only within
the country but also from outside the country. Only when the society is alert,
well-organized and strong it can win over such forces that are bent to break it
or divide it.
We must develop and establish constant and transparent communication channels
within every single stratum of society. In a free and democratic country,
citizens have the right to choose and elect their representatives for
themselves. Such representatives should pursue the work in the overall interest
of the country to the best of their ability and discretion and should prefer
national interest above the ideology of the parties. They must maintain general
knowledge of the law, constitution, civil discipline and its faithful observance
is most essential for a successful democracy. However, in recent times, some of
these virtues have deteriorated. The erosion caused by it is due to the gimmicks
of politics that are present in front of all of us.
During disputes among people, speech incontinence (which is now a general rule
in social media) to prove bravery is also one of the major reasons why politics
is moving away from the nation to parties; and from parties to just degrading
others. Every one of us, including the leadership, should get away from such
conduct and maintain the discipline of citizenship. The rule of law has to be
followed and an atmosphere of respect has to be created.
Any kind of change anywhere in the world can only be brought about when society
itself is capable, competent and effective. No change can exist over a long time
if society is weak, vulnerable or fragile.
For the society to develop a system based on ‘Swa” by taking the good things in
both the age-old system and the prevailing system it has to have four basic
qualities – clear knowledge of ‘Swa’, patriotism, individual and societal
discipline and a sense of unity.
Superior materialistic knowledge, high quality skills, good governance,
administration etc., will only help that society and country which stands
united.
At this time of celebrating ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsava’, which we have achieved
though great sacrifices and hardships, we have to continue to work hard with the
same amount of dedication to take India to the pinnacle of its glory.
Let us accelerate on this journey with enthusiasm, clarity, and determination.
-GoTop
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