\ SAMVAD
Chaitra Shukla 11, Vik. Samvat 2080, Yugabda 5125: 1 April, 2023: SM5001(For Private Circulation Only)
1. FESTIVALS: VAISHAKHI:
Vaisakhi, also known as Baisakhi and Basoa (among Dogras), marks the first
day of the month of Vaisakh - April 14 this year. It is celebrated primarily in
Northern Bharat as spring harvest festival. Further, in many parts of Bharat,
Vaisakhi is also the date for the Bharatiya Solar New Year.
Vaisakhi is the day when Hindus believe that the holy River Ganga descended on earth from heaven. One of the largest Vaisakhi fair in Bharat is held at Haridwar in which is an important Hindu pilgrimage place. Around 50 lakhs (5 million) pilgrims throng Brahm Kund in Haridwar to take a dip in Ganga. -GoTop
2. PROGRAMS OF SARASANGHACHALAK DR. MOHAN BHAGWAT: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Sarasanghachalak Dr. Mohan Bhagwat said that religions are different pathways that people take to reach the same goal and added that different ways of worship cannot be the reason for animosity or conflict between communities. The RSS chief made remarks on March 17 at the launch of the first Urdu translation of the Samaveda, one of the four Vedas, by scriptwriter and filmmaker Iqbal Durrani.
Speaking on the occasion, Durrani said that Dara Shikoh, son of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, had started work of translating the Upanishads into Urdu but was murdered by his brother Aurangzeb before his effort come to fruition. "While the work towards this end had been stalled for 400 years ever since, fresh efforts to translate Hindu scriptures into Urdu are being made." he added.
Speaking at a farmers' conference organised by the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh in Hastinapur on March 19, Dr. Bhagwat said that changing farming methods is necessary not only for Bharat but the world and advised farmers to adopt cow-based farming. He added that cow-based farming does not disturb the cycle of nature. Mohan Bhagwat said that the government might change the policies but the farmers will have to do the work to save agriculture and nature. -GoTop
3. SWARAJ INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE: “Swaraj - Native
Models of Governance”, a three-day international conference at Karnataka State
Rural Development and Panchayat Raj University Gadag concluded on March 3.
52 delegates from 15 foreign countries and 255 delegates from across the length
and breadth of Bharat participated in the conference. These delegates
represented more than 30 organisations and institution. Forty-four resource
persons from diverse academic and professional domains shared their thoughts
during the discourses.
The Swaraj Resolution which was passed during the conference has advocated for establishing centres at various institutions to study ‘Swaraj’ as a theory for Self Governance, encouraging and facilitating collaborations between academics, researchers, and practitioners of Swaraj to promote inter-disciplinary / trans-disciplinary research, knowledge sharing and facilitating local communities to develop models of governance suited locally. It also advocated developing and implementing Swaraj-based curriculum in schools and universities to promote research awareness and understanding of the philosophy among students and scholars. -GoTop
4. DALAI LAMA NAMES US-BORN MONGOLIAN BOY AS 3RD HIGHEST
BUDDHIST LEADER: An eight-year-old Mongolian boy, born in the United States,
has been named the 10th Khalkha Jetsun Dhampa Rinpoche, the third highest rank
in Tibetan Buddhism, by the Dalai Lama.
5. CHALO DISPUR RALLY FOR DELISTING CONVERTED INDIVIDUALS:
The massive rally on anti-conversion and delisting of Schedule Tribe (ST)
status possessed by converted individuals was held on March 26 in Guwahati.
Organised by Janajati Dharma Sanskriti Suraksha Manch (JDSSM-Assam), the rally
witnessed participation of over 55,000 tribal people from 30 districts of Assam.
Wearing traditional attire, the participants also carried folk musical
instruments in the ‘Chalo Dispur’ rally.
6. SURYA NAMASKAR YAGNA - UK: In February, HSS UK
conducted its annual Surya Namaskar Yagna (SNY). The SNY targets for this year
included ‘Everyday Surya Namaskar’ in which 300 swayamsevaks and sevikas
completed at least 13 Surya Namaskars every day of the month. Under the
‘Everywhere Surya Namaskar’ concept, swayamsevaks and sevikas were encouraged to
take pictures of Surya Namaskar at iconic locations across the UK.
7. HINDU HERITAGE CAMP IN ZAMBIA: On March 19, Hindu
Swayamsevak Sangh HSS Zambia successfully conducted Hindu Heritage Camp" for
students aged between 6 and 16. The venue of the camp was the Ndola Hindu Samaj
– Mandir. The activity included physical activities like Bharatiya traditional
games and intellectual activities like cultural quiz. Yoga and meditation
techniques and shloka chanting was also conducted to cater to the mental and
spiritual aspects.
8. HINDU FAMILY MEET IN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: On
March 24, HSS conducted its first programme in Democratic Republic of Congo. The
‘Hindu Family Meet’ at Lubumbashi was a great success with a large number of
local Hindu families attending the function.
9. ‘FRIENDS OF HUA GALA’ IN HOUSTON: Hindu University of
America (HUA) in association with Hindus of Greater Houston (HGH) hosted a
‘Friends of HUA Gala’ evening on March 26 at VPSS Haveli in Houston. Close to
500 members of the Houston community attended the amazing event.
The gala honored Kiran and Ramesh Bhutada and their family for their generous
gift of one million dollars to HUA. Sri Ramesh Bhutada, CEO of Star Pipe
Products, is a successful Houston-based businessman and philanthropist.
The Houston community also heard from the Chairman of the HUA Board Padma
Bhushan Ved Nanda, and the HUA President Kalyan Viswanathan about the
rejuvenation of HUA, its current state, and future roadmap.
10. TAKHT SRI PATNA SAHIB GURUDWARA PRABANDHAK COMMITTEE
CONDEMNED ATTACK ON HIGH COMMISSION: Takht Sri Patna Sahib Gurudwara
Prabandhak Committee, while slamming the Khalistani elements, has condemned the
attack and removal of the National flag from the Bharatiya High Commission in
the United Kingdom (UK) on March 19.
As per the report of a local daily, the president of the Gurudwara Prabandhak
Committee, Jagjot Singh Sodhi, senior member of the committee, Lakhwinder Singh,
along with vice-president Gurwinder Singh said in a joint statement that the
attempts to barged into Bharatiya High Commissions of UK, Australia and United
states are unprecedented as even during the peak of terrorism in Punjab such
incidents were never been reported. They added that those who are inciting the
youths of the community for such misdeeds are only doing damage to the prestige
of the Sikh community worldwide. -GoTop
11. HINDUS TAKE OUT A RALLY IN AUSTRALIA AFTER THE LAXMI
NARAYAN MANDIR IN BRISBANE GOT ATTACKED: In a show of support, Hindus in
Brisbane took to the streets to stand in solidarity with the Laxmi Narayan
Mandir that was recently attacked by Khalistani extremists. The rally, which was
held on March 26, saw a large turnout of people from the Hindu community, who
were outraged by the attack on their religious institution.
“Salute to the over 1000 Australian Hindus hailing from Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, New Delhi, Fiji, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, Punjab, Maharashtra, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh & elsewhere who participated in the Australian Hindus Harmony Rally in Brisbane on 26 March.” said the Australian Hindu Media. -GoTop
12. PRAN PRATISTHAN POOJA OF GANESH MANDIR RUN BY JAPANESE
DEVOTEE: On March 26, the Pran Pratisthan Pooja was held at the renovated
Chiba Shri Ganpati Mandir in Japan. The mandir is being run by a Japanese
Ganesha devotee, Maekawa-san. The pooja was performed by Buddhist monks from
Thailand by chanting Sanskrit shlokas. The program was organized by the local
Japanese community.
13. BHARAT CONTINUES TO SUPPORT DEBT-RIDDEN SRI LANKA:
Sri Lanka plunged into a financial crisis after the Covid-19 pandemic affected
tourism, which is considered the country's economic backbone, and remittances
from citizens working abroad fell.
Bharat, under its 'Neighbourhood First' policy, has always come forward to help
debt-ridden Sri Lanka, and in the latest instance, New Delhi distributed the
ration in Kalmunai, the Bharatiya High Commission in Colombo said.
Recently, Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Ali Sabry was on an official visit to New
Delhi to attend Raisina Dialogue, 2023. During the Raisina Dialogue, Sabry had
said that Bharat - both the government and the people - helped Sri Lanka more
than any other country, especially when the island-nation was struggling to come
out of an unprecedented crisis. -GoTop
14. 700-YEAR-OLD MANGLESHWAR BHAIRAV MANDIR UNDERGOES
RESTORATION: The Jammu and Kashmir administration has taken up the
restoration work of the 700-year-old Mangleshwar Bhairav Mandir located in the
heart of Srinagar city. It was severely damaged by floods in 2014. The J&K
administration said that the work was started in June 2022 and is expected to be
completed next month.
15. IN A FIRST, MEGHALAYA GETS ELECTRIC TRAINS: In a
landmark event on March 17, Meghalaya got its first electric train. In another
endeavor for complete electrification, Northeast Frontier Railway has achieved
another milestone by commissioning Dudhnai - Mendipathar (22.823 km track)
single line section and Abhayapuri - Pancharatna (34.59 km track) double line
section on March 15.
16. BHARAT'S COCHIN SHIPYARD BAGS ORDER TO BUILD
ZERO-EMISSION FEEDER CONTAINER VESSEL
In a huge development, Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) has received an
international order for the world's first zero-emission feeder container vessel.
The vessel will ultimately be powered using Hydrogen Fuel Cells, with Green
Hydrogen. The total project cost is about Rs 550 crores.
In the recent past, CSL had also bagged contracts for the construction of two Commissioning Service Operation Vessels (CSOV) for the European renewable offshore wind-farm segment. -GoTop
17. IIT GUWAHATI LISTED AMONG WORLD'S TOP UNIVERSITIES:
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati has been named as one of the
world's top universities for the study of 14 subjects, according to the latest
edition of the world's most-consulted university ranking.
Speaking about IIT Guwahati's performance in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2023, Prof Parameswar K Iyer, Officiating Director, IIT Guwahati, said, "IIT Guwahati is working hard to deliver quality education which will play an important role in building a brighter future for all.” -GoTop
18. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN: Pravas: Vishwa Vibhag Samyojak
Saumitra Gokhale will be travelling to Africa. Vishwa Vibhag Sah-Samyojak Dr.
Ram Vaidya will be travelling to Egypt. RSS Akhil Bharatiya Karyakarini Sadasya
Suresh Soni will be travelling to UK. Visitors: Chander Malik—USA.
-GoTop
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: In reality, this strength is as sacred and blessed as
spiritual strength. We don’t have to become strong to indulge in violence but to
end the violence and atrocities of the world once and for all. — Dr. Keshavrao
Baliram Hedgewar (Pathey) -GoTop
JAI SHRI RAM
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A NATION NAMED HINDU AND SANATAN ITS ADJECTIVE
DR MANMOHAN
VAIDYA
Sanatan or eternal is the adjective ascribed to Bharat as Bharat is Anaadi (beginningless)
and Anant (unending). There are two reasons for the same. One the philosophy
that has shaped Bharat is eternal, and two, the society which lives by it, which
is the embodiment of this philosophy, is also eternal.
The unique worldview of Bharat is eternal because the basis of it is
spirituality; hence it is integral and hence holistic. Owing to this world view
Bharat realizes the entire creation interconnected – singular consciousness
manifested in varied expressions. Therefore, Bharat considers that there is
coordination in the universe and not conflict.
Having all this merely at the level of thinking and philosophy is not sufficient. A timeless tradition of living that philosophy has been established by the society here. Having suffered innumerable attacks and blows this society, which is referred to as the ‘rashtra,’ continues to exist. The interminability of this society also makes Bharat sanatan. Two main factors responsible for the continuity and sanatan tradition of this rashtra are spirituality-based view of life and the society not being based on the welfare state. Gurudev Rabindra Nath Thakur in his essay ‘Swadeshi Samaj’ writes “welfare state is not a Bharatiya tradition. Barring law & order, defence and foreign affairs the society had its autonomous systems for all other matters like education, healthcare, trade & commerce, temples, fairs, art & aesthetics, music, dance-drama, pilgrimage, etc. Sanatan Bharat did not rely on the state treasury to fund these activities of the society.
The society had its independent arrangement which had dharma as its guiding principle. This ‘Dharma’ does not imply religion or worship. To give to the society as one would to one’s own family, to give back, is considered dharma. Swami Vivekananda’s disciple Bhagini Nivedita has said that the society in which the people, instead of keeping the remuneration of their efforts to themselves, give it to the society, becomes rich and prosperous and as a result, every person in the society becomes rich and prosperous. This is called Dharma and Dharma does not discriminate. It connects all, it binds all and it holds all together.
But if the people in the society, instead of giving the remuneration of their efforts to the society, keep it to themselves, some persons in the society may become rich but the society remains poor. A tent-like structure that is supported by but one pole is grounded in case the pole is damaged whereas a tent-like structure that is built with the help of three-four poles will not be grounded in case any one of the poles gets damaged, moreover it can possibly be internally reconstructed. Bharat has traditionally been working in the same way. Hence though the foreign attacks defeated the kings, the society or rashtra remained undefeated. Each time, swaraj has been restored through suitable awakenings. This design is also at the heart of the secret of Bharat being Sanatan.
The unique spirituality-centric view of life of this rashtra is known by the name Hindu across the world, which is why this rashtra is Hindu and its adjective Sanatan. We did not coin this name because we never considered ourselves separate from the rest of humanity. Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the whole vasudha or creation is one kutumba or family) has been our belief. But those who viewed us from outside christened this uniqueness of ours in order to differentiate us as Hindu (those who hail from the other side of the Sindhu).
Between 1935-1940 the ghee shops in Nagpur bore boards flanked by the names of the neighboring villages, viz, Boregaanv, Dahegaanv or Aamgaanv followed by the suffix “ghee shop.” Around the time when WW-II was going on a product called Dalda made an appearance in the market, which looked like ghee but wasn’t actually ghee. It was then that the boards of those shops began to be renamed as “shudh ghee shop” suffixed after the name of the village. Now the word ‘shudh’ (pure) was added later but that cannot be interpreted as what was being sold earlier was not pure. It was added to differentiate it from the imitative article. This applies to Hindu too. Living by the dictum of aatma vat sarva bhuteshu (to consider everyone as oneself) the necessity to define ourselves with a name or a label was never felt, therefore we did not consider doing it. With time, in the natural course of events, every society undergoes changes. While remaining steadfast in the eternal principle, discarding obsolete practices in the light of the timeless principles and adopting concurrent new practices comes naturally to Bharat. In this line, Bharat has had a culture of adopting certain foreign values and systems after refashioning those as per the local lore. This is yet another hallmark of Bharat that makes it ancient and antiquated (chir puratan), yet ever so young (nitya nutan).
Many treatises or documents (smritis) that inform the attitude and behavior of the society were composed here from time to time as this process of aforementioned integration of values and knowledge systems in the light of the existing timeless principles took place. This text here is the panacea of knowledge and that there will be none beyond this – Bharat has never proclaimed this.
For the Bharat of current times, our constitution is the latest Smriti. The provisions for modifying this constitution are enshrined within the constitution only. The tact of periodically renovating the structure while retaining the base of the foundation is what Bharat has championed. It has ensured our civilisational continuity and renewal and it is this which makes it Sanatan.
Yet another peculiarity of Bharat is that it has held both abhyuday (material prosperity) and nihshreyas (salvation or liberation) as equally important. To live a life that strikes a balance between these two inseparable pursuits is what is Dharma – ‘यतोऽभ्युदय निःश्रेयस सिद्धिः स धर्मः’ This is another definition of Dharma.
Because of this view in the first seventeen centuries of the current era Bharat’s share in world trade was over 30% (highest in the world, then).
Despite trade relations with several countries, we did not attempt to colonize them, plunder their riches, ‘convert’ the natives or enslave the people and rob them of their dignity by trading them as labor. This also was possible because of the eternal global view – Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – held by Bharat. Bharat is an ancient civilization.
In the long journey of its existence, it has seen periods of degradation which led to a passivity in the attitude of its people. In such situations to awaken and strengthen the society many saints incarnated in all segments of the society who were instrumental in reinvigorating the consciousness of the people. This timely intervention through directives of many such saints and sages also gives Bharat its Sanatan adjective.
Today when the whole world has moved in closer, newer speed and efficiency have dawned upon the mediums of transportation and communication, to balance the diversity manifested in languages, lineages and religions with the finite resources available on earth is a challenge before all of humanity. Where the need of the hour is the aspiration to live a truly prosperous life but in harmony then Bharat has the worldview, the philosophy, the experience and also a history that illustrates a similar achievement.
Famous physicist Fritjof Capra’s this illustration illuminates the same idea – “The paradigm that is now receding has dominated our culture for several hundred years. During which it has shaped our modern western society and has significantly influenced the rest of the world. This paradigm consists of a number of entrenched ideas and values, among them the view of the universe as a mechanical system composed of elementary building blocks, view of human body as a machine, the view of life in society as a competitive struggle for existence, belief in unlimited material, economic and technological growth, and last not the least, the belief that a society in which the female is everywhere subsumed under the male is one that follows a basic law of nature.
These entire assumptions have been fatefully challenged by recent events. Indeed, a radical revision of them is occurring. The new paradigm may be called a holistic world view, seeing the world as an integrated whole rather than a dissociated collection of parts. It may also be called an ecological view, if the term ecological is used in a much broader and deeper sense than usual. Deep ecological awareness recognizes the fundamental interdependence of all phenomena and the fact that as individuals and societies, we are all embedded in (and ultimately depend on) the cyclic process of nature. Ultimately, deep ecological awareness is spiritual or religious awareness.
When the concept of the human spirit is understood as the mode of consciousness in which the individual feels a sense of belonging, of connectedness, to the cosmos as a whole, it becomes clear that ecological awareness is spiritual in its deepest essence. It is therefore not surprising that the emerging new vision of reality based on deep ecological awareness is consistent with the so-called perennial philosophy of spiritual traditions.”
Therefore, preservation of this uniqueness of Bharat along with its prosperity, continuity and security is a global necessity. And for Bharat to remain Sanatan this Sanatan spirituality-based Hindu view of life must continue to thrive. The continuity of a close-knit, strong, active and victorious society that embodies this view of life is equally important. To sustain this Sanatan Bharat and maintain the Sanatanata (eternal values) of Bharat, honoring the essence of the word Hindu by consolidating the Hindu samaj, remedying it and instilling the virtue of the Rashtra is the way. (Writer is Sahsarkaryavah of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) https://vskbharat.com/a-nation-named-hindu-and-sanatan-its-adjective/?lang=en March 20, 2023 -GoTop
SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN shrivishwaniketan@gmail.com http://svn.epapers.in
