Ashadha Shukla 13 Vik. Samvat 2080, Yugabda 5125 : 1 July, 2023:SM 5007 (For Private Circulation only)
1. FESTIVALS:
GURU PURNIMA: Guru Purnima, observed on the full moon day (Purnima) in the
month of Ashadha (July 3 this year), is a festival dedicated to offering respect
to all the spiritual and academic gurus. It is also known as Vyasa Purnima, for
it marks the birthday of Veda Vyasa, the sage who authored the Mahabharata and
compiled the Vedas.
2. PROGRAMS OF SARASANGHACHALAK DR. MOHAN BHAGWAT:
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Sarasanghachalak Dr. Mohan Bhagwat attended the
second year training camp of RSS at Tippar in Galod, Hamirpur. While addressing
the swayamsevaks, he said that to implement the belief of collective unity in
our lives is the mantra of the Sangh. Around 259 swayamsevaks from five states
participated in the camp which ended on June 25.
Governor Arif Mohammad Khan said that Bharat with it's rich cultural and
spiritual traditions was best qualified to provide global leadership. -GoTop
3. PEOPLE SUFFERED "ATROCITIES AND BARBARISM" DURING
EMERGENCY: DATTATREYA HOSABALE: Recalling the "atrocities and barbarism"
people suffered during the Emergency imposed by the Indira Gandhi government 48
years ago, RSS Sarakaryavah Dattatreya Hosabale said on June 25 that it was a
"black chapter" in Bharat's history.
4. YOGA DAY CELEBRATION ACROSS THE WORLD: The 9th
International Day of Yoga (IDY) was celebrated worldwide on June 21.
Pradhan Mantri Narendra Modi led IDY celebrations at the UN Headquarters in New
York set a Guinness World Record for most nationalities participating in a
single session. The event witnessed the presence of esteemed UN officials,
diplomats, and prominent personalities. PM Modi emphasised that yoga is a truly
universal, ancient, living and dynamic Bharatiya tradition and that it is free
from copyrights, patents, royalty and payments.
Around 650 people gathered to practise yoga on the grounds of Tsukiji Honganji
Mandir in Tokyo on June 21.
Nepal police personnel performed yoga during the IDY at National Police Academy
in Kathmandu.
In a joint initiative by Bahrain India Cultural & Arts Services (BICAS) and Prop
Yoga & Therapy Centre and under the patronage of the Bharatiya Embassy, a
Manthan Yoga Conclave was organized in Bahrain. 
More than 520 participants across several cities participated in the 9th IDY
organized by the Sanatan Dharma Swayamsevak Sangh in Myanmar.
IDY was celebrated by swayamsevaks of Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh HSS New Zealand at
the Bharatiya High Commission in Wellington.
HSS (UK) organised diverse array of events in different cities of UK on the
occasion of IDY.
IDY was also celebrated in several cities across Tanzania including Iringa,
Mwanza, Lindi and Tanga.
Chapters of HSS USA organized events to celebrate IDY in several cities of the
USA.
Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh Munich Shakha demonstrated suryanamaskar at an IDY event
organized by the Consulate General of Bharat, Munich.
National Cadet Corps (NCC) celebrated the 9th IDY with full zeal and enthusiasm
with the participation of 11 lakh NCC Cadets at different venues across Bharat.
The Bharatiya Army formed a ‘Bharatmala’ by conducting yoga all along the border
areas of the nation including Dong in Arunachal Pradesh, Longewala in Rajasthan,
Siachen and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. The troops, families including
children and defence civilians actively participated in the events.
Local yoga organisations and Bharatiya embassies in several other countries
across the globe also celebrated IDY with various functions. -GoTop
5. JOHN P. STEVENS HIGH SCHOOL CELEBRATED GURU VANDANA:
On May 5, John P. Stevens High School in Edison, New Jersey, celebrated Guru
Vandana for the first time. The board of the Hindu Students of John P. Stevens (HSJPS)
planned the event. Since this event was conducted for the first time, many club
members were unaware of how exactly to invite their teachers and what the event
would look like. To overcome this, an email regarding the event was sent to the
teachers listing the name(s) of the student(s) that wished to invite the teacher
as well as a brief overview on the meaning of a Guru and the importance of the
event to the Hindu culture. 
Students felicitated their teachers by applying tilak, doing aarti, giving them
a shawl, and touching their feet. The students spoke about their teachers and
the teachers also shared their thoughts on the Hindu way of paying reverence. 25
teachers and around 25 students attended the event. -GoTop
6. UTTAR LOS ANGELES VIBHAG CONDUCTED HINDU HERITAGE CAMP:
Uttar Los Angeles Vibhag of HSS USA conducted Hindu Heritage Camp (HHC) in
Eastvale, CA on May 21. 19 karyakartas including three from Hindu YUVA and five
sevikas planned the camp activities. 74 new contacts from 22 families joined
their first ever sangh karyakram at the camp. Total participation in the camp
was 105 including 30 bals and around 10 kishores. Ice-breaking games, yogasana,
khel and charcha were conducted in separate ganas for bala, kishore, purush and
mahila.
7. 8,000 CELEBRATE HINDU MANDIR FESTIVAL IN HAMM: The
annual festival of the Sri Kamadchi Ampal Mandir in the North Rhine-Westphalian
city of Hamm, Germany, began on June 5. Around 8,000 devotees celebrated the
main day of the festival on June 18. After ceremonies in the mandir, the statue
of Devi Kamadchi was placed on a float and honored by the devotees in a
three-hour procession. The procession was the culmination of the festival that
lasted around two weeks. 
8. FIRST EVER HINDU-AMERICAN SUMMIT ORGANISED AT US CAPITOL
HILL: On June 14, the first-ever Hindu-American Summit was hosted by the
Americans4Hindus Political Action Committee (PAC) in collaboration with over 20
other diaspora organisations. The aim of the summit was to bring the Hindu
community’s issues to the attention of the lawmakers.
9. PM MODI CONFERRED WITH EGYPT'S HIGHEST STATE HONOUR IN
CAIRO: On June 25, Pradhan Mantri Narendra Modi was conferred with ‘Order of
the Nile’ award, Egypt's highest state honour by the Egyptian President Abdel
Fattah al-Sisi. Modi's state visit to the African country was the first by a
Bharatiya PM since 1997. Later, PM Modi also paid a visit to the Heliopolis
Commonwealth War Cemetery and offered tributes to the 4,000 Bharatiya soldiers
who bravely fought and laid down their lives in Egypt and Palestine during the
First World War. He also interacted with the Bharatiya diaspora in separate
groups at the Ritz Carlton hotel. 
10. SENIOR BHARATIYA ADVOCATE SURESH SRIVASTAVA ELECTED
VICE-CHAIRMAN OF GLOBAL UN ADVOCACY BODY:A senior Bharatiya advocate Suresh
Srivastava was unanimously elected vice-chairman of the World Federation of
United Nations Associations (WFUNA), a global UN advocacy body.
As the new vice-chairman of WFUNA, headquartered at the United Nations premises
in New York, Srivastava will play a key role in shaping the organisation’s
policies and priorities, as well as helping to advance its mission around the
world, a press release said.
11. REVIVING ANCIENT HINDU TRADITIONS OF TRIPURA: June
26 marked the beginning of the Kharchi Puja in Tripura, the festival of ‘14
Devatas’ believed to be the guardians of the state. The event holds immense
historical and cultural importance, showcasing the rich heritage and traditions
of the region. The auspicious event marked the revival of ancient customs and
traditions, drawing enthusiastic devotees from far and wide. The rituals and
ceremonies followed during the Kharchi Puja have been meticulously preserved
over the centuries. 
12. GANDHI PEACE PRIZE FOR 2021 TO GITA PRESS, GORAKHPUR:
The Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2021 is being conferred on Gita Press,
Gorakhpur. The award carries an amount of Rs. 1 crore, a citation, a plaque and
an exquisite traditional handicraft/handloom item. On June 18, the Jury headed
by the Pradhan Mantri Shri Narendra Modi unanimously decided to select Gita
Press, Gorakhpur in recognition of its outstanding contribution towards social,
economic and political transformation through non-violent and other Gandhian
methods. PM Modi observed that the conferment of Gandhi Peace Prize on Gita
Press, on completion of hundred years of its establishment, is a recognition of
the work done by the institution in community service. -GoTop
13. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN:Pravas: Visitors: Omkar
Joshi - USA -GoTop
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Selfish actions must be avoided, and our actions must
be in a selfless manner. - Bhagwan Ved Vyas -GoTop
JAI SHRI RAM
---
RSS FOUNDER DR HEDGEWAR & HIS CONTRIBUTION TO THE FREEDOM STRUGGLE
Dr Manmohan Vaidya
Some time ago, a journalist came to
visit me. During the conversation, he asked me, “What role did the RSS play in
the Independence struggle?” Perhaps he too was a victim of the propaganda
against RSS. I asked him back what he meant by the ‘Independence struggle’? He
was not prepared for this. He could not speak anything. Then he replied in a low
and hesitant voice, “The one which Mahatma Gandhi did”. I asked, “So nothing
happened before Gandhiji? Did the trinity of Lal-Bal-Pal have no contribution?
Did the revolutionary movement and Subhash Chandra Bose have no role in the
independence struggle?” He was silent. Then I asked how many Satyagrahas
happened under Gandhiji’s leadership? He was unsure of that. I said there were
three, in 1921, 1930 and 1942. He did not know it. I said the founder of RSS Dr
Hedgewarji (who passed away in 1940) had participated in the Satyagraha before
(1921) and after (1930). He founded the RSS for which he had to suffer
imprisonment also.
I narrated this incident because a very systematic attempt is being made to tell
us a partial history. The people of Bharat are forced to believe that
Independence was gained only because of the Congress and the Satyagraha in 1942;
no one else did anything. This is not the complete truth. Yes, the Satyagraha
provided a simple and effortless means to the common people to participate in
the Independence struggle through charkha and khadi. However, to give credit to
a particular movement or a party is playing with history and an insult to the
efforts of all others.
He returned to Nagpur in 1916 after becoming a doctor. At that time, all the top
leaders of the Independence struggle were married and leading a family life. Dr
Hedgewar could have thought on the same lines. The family background matched
with it. Nevertheless, he decided not to follow the medical profession and not
to marry. He had such intensity and urgency in his heart for attaining
Independence that he gave no thought to his personal life, dedicated all his
might, time and ability to the nation and joined every type of movement for
independence.
He had an unflinching faith in Lokmanya Tilak. All the responsibilities of the
Congress session, to be held in Nagpur in 1920, were given to Dr Hardikar and Dr
Hedgewar and they inducted 1200 volunteers for that. Dr. Hedgewar was the joint
secretary of the Nagpur city unit of Congress at that time. Dr Hedgewar had
proposed to the resolution committee of the Congress to come up with a
resolution with a clear objective ‘to make Bharat independent, turn it into a
republic, and free the world from the clutches of capitalism. The Congress
accepted his suggestion of total independence after nine years in the Lahore
session in 1929. Pleased with this, Doctorji instructed all the shakhas of the
RSS to congratulate Congress on January 26, 1930. All Tilak supporters in Nagpur
were saddened after Lokmanya Tilak’s demise on August 1, 1920. Thereafter, the
independence struggle of the Congress continued under Gandhiji’s leadership. In
1921, Mahatma Gandhiji supported the Khilafat during the noncooperation movement
with a view of expanding the social base against imperialism and to accommodate
the Muslims that were hurt by the abolition of the Khilafat in Turkistan by the
British. Many leaders of the Congress and nationalist Muslims too were opposed
to this. Hence, the non-cooperation movement was not much effective in Nagpur.
However, Dr Hedgewar, Dr Cholkar, Samimulla Khan etc. changed this scene. Even
after objecting to associating Khilafat to the national movement, they did not
make the objection public. They took part in the movement with the sole purpose
of opposing imperialism. They did not care for the political atmosphere around
them or for the views of vocal Tilak supporters. They had to suffer one year in
imprisonment under the charges of sedition.
Even after knowing the importance and priority of attaining independence, one
question plagued Dr Hedgewar – how could a handful of Englishmen, who came from
7000 miles away for trade, rule this large country? There must be some flaws in
us. He realised that our society had forgotten itself, divided in groups like
castes, provinces, language and faith; it was unorganised and full of bad
practices. The British benefited from this and could rule us. This history might
be repeated in future as well if the society remained the same even after the
independence. He used to say that ‘Sapnath will come when Nagnath goes’ (if one
type of snake goes, the other will come). Hence, it is more important and
necessary to make our society proud of itself, aware and organised as well as
liberate it from all bad practices and make it full of national character. He
realised that this work can be done only by staying away from politics,
publicity, silently and continuously. He founded Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in
1925 for this purpose. He had cordial and affectionate relations with all
political and social leaders, movements and activities even after founding RSS.
The civil disobedience movement started by Gandhiji on April 6, 1930 from Dandi
(Gujarat). The decision to support this movement was taken in November 1929
itself in the three-day meeting of the Sanghchalaks. As per the RSS policy, Dr
Hedgewarji decided to participate in this Satyagraha at the individual level
with other Swayamsevaks. He entrusted his responsibility as the Sarsanghachalak
to his old friend Dr Paranjape so that RSS work was not affected and gave the
responsibility to visit the shakhas to Babasaheb Apte and Bapurao Bhedi.
Initially, 3-4 thousand people accompanied him on July 21 during this satyagrah.
By the time they reached Pusad, the venue of the Satyagraha 1930, ten thousand
people had gathered. They were sent to jail for nine months in this Satyagraha.
He took charge of the responsibility of the Sarsanghachalak after the release
and again focused on the RSS work.
Hindu Mahasabha and Arya Samaj had given a call of Satyagraha under the banner
of Bhaganagar Nihshastra Pratikar Mandal in 1938 to oppose Nizam’s atrocities
against the Hindus in Bhaganagar (Hyderabad). Doctorji gave consent to those
Swayamsewaks who asked permission for joining that Satyagraha. But he clarified
that they could do so at an individual level. When the organisers frequently
mentioned in their press releases that RSS had participated in the Bhaganagar
Satyagraha, Doctorji wrote a letter to them and asked them not to mention RSS.
Doctorji had deliberately devised this strategy with a vision and clear
thinking. He understood the transitory, momentary and struggling nature of
political movements and the continuous, uninterrupted and constructive nature of
RSS work. He wanted movements to be successful without hampering the perpetual
work of RSS. Even during the Forest Satyagraha, he participated in the
Satyagraha with many other Swayamsevaks after entrusting the responsibility of
Sarsanghachalak to Dr Paranjape.
Mahatma Gandhi gave the historic call of ‘British! Go Back’ in the Congress
session at the Gowalia Tank ground in Mumbai on August 8, 1942. From the next
day itself, the movement caught momentum all over the country and arrests of
leaders started at many places. Agitations at Bawali (Amaravati), Ashti (Wardha)
and Chimur (Chandrapur) in Vidarbha were remarkable. The news from Chimur was
broadcast even on the Berlin Radio. The agitations there were led by Uddhavrao
Korekar of Congress and RSS’ functionaries Dada Naik, Baburao Begade and Annaji
Siras. The only death with a British bullet in that agitation was that of RSS
Swayamsevak Balaji Raipurkar. Congress, Shri Gurudev Seva Mandal of Shri Tukdoji
Maharaj and RSS Swayamsewaks collectively organised the agitation and Satyagraha
at Chimur. Cases were filed against 125 satyagrahis in this agitation and
innumerable Swayamsevaks.
Senior members and pracharaks of RSS at many places vehemently jumped in this
movement all over Bharat such as Shri Jaidevji Pathak (Pracharak in Rajasthan),
who was later active in Vidya Bharati. Dr Annasaheb Deshpande at Arvi (Vidarbha).
Ramakant Keshav (Balasaheb) Deshpande who later founded the Vanvasi Kalyan
Ashram Jashpur (Chhattisgarh). Vasantrao Oak in Delhi who later became the Prant
pracharak of Delhi. Krishna Vallabh Prasad Narayan Singh (Babuaji) in Patna and
who later carried the responsibility of Bihar Sanghchalak. Chandrakant
Bhardwaj (Delhi) whose foot was hit with a bullet and which could never be
removed. Dattatray Gangadhar (Bhayyaji) Kasture in Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh),
Madhavrao Devade in East Uttar Pradesh. Along with the tyranny of the British,
on the one hand Satyagraha was going on, while on the other many agitators went
underground and worked for steering the movement. To give shelter to the
underground workers during those times was not without risk. Many Sangh
Swayamsevaks did that. Innumerable names can be cited like these. The
possibility of documenting all these was very bleak in those days.
From Dr Hedgewar’s life it is clear that his entire life was dedicated to the
Independence of the nation. The path he had chosen for the same was to organise
society that is flawless, skillful and based on national thought. Until 1947,
the main objective enshrined in the oath of RSS was ‘to make the Hindu nation
independent’.
The national life of Bharat has the tendency of taking extreme positions. Even
in Doctorji’s lifetime, society was divided on the binaries of
Congress-revolutionaries, Tilak-Gandhi, violence-nonviolence, Hindu Mahasabha
Congress etc. The trend was of scoring brownie political points over each other.
Sometimes, owing to their differences, they would fiercely oppose each other
instead of fighting against British imperialism. A resolution to condemn the
revolutionaries was to come up in the provincial session of the Madhya Prant
Congress presided by Loknayak Ane in 1921. Dr Hedgewar convinced him that even
though he did not believe in the path of the revolutionaries, their patriotism
should not be doubted. Thus, Doctorji’s life was not determined by the narrow
options of political views, philosophy and policies, Tilak-Gandhi,
violence-nonviolence and Congress-revolutionaries etc.
The fundamental aim of attaining Independence was far more important than a
personality or a particular path. A class which considers Bharat merely a
political entity always tries to take credit for everything. It pursues the
unilateral propaganda for taking the sole credit for Bharat’s Independence,
without recognising the role of others. Independence was a cumulative result of
all round efforts from armed revolutionaries to non-violent Satyagrahis, rebels
in the army and Indian National Army etc. The role of prevalent precarious
situations in England after World War II and their inability and reluctance to
rule the colonies cannot be completely ruled out either. The British eventually
gave Independence to other colonies also where there was no freedom struggle
like Bharat. It is true that the Satyagraha in 1942 was the last Satyagraha led
by Mahatma Gandhiji and Bharat attained Independence after that in 1947.
However, to say that Independence was gained only because of the 1942 movement
in 1942 and because of the people who were arrested in that movement is
laughable, improper and untrue. There is a story. A farmer was very hungry. The
wife was serving and he was eating. However, his hunger was not satisfied. He
was satisfied only after eating the eleventh roti. The upset husband scolded his
wife for not serving the eleventh roti earlier. His logic was the work of eating
so many rotis could have been avoided and he would have experienced satisfaction
earlier. The idea itself is laughable.
Similarly, giving the credit for Bharat’s Independence solely to the 1942 Quit
India Movement is laughable. If we go through some historical accounts, we get a
clearer picture on this movement. While granting Independence to Bharat, British
PM Clement Atlee said,“Gandhi’s nonviolence movement had next to zero effect on
the British.” Former acting Governor of West Bengal P M Chakraborty (CJ of
Kolkata High court) wrote: “When I was the acting Governor, Lord Atlee, spent
two days in the Governor’s palace at Kolkata during his tour of India. At that
time, I had a prolonged discussion with him regarding the real factors that had
led the British to quit India. My direct question to him was that since Gandhi’s
“Quit India” movement had tapered off quite some time ago and in 1947 no such
new compelling situation had arisen that would necessitate a hasty British
departure, why did they have to leave? In his reply Atlee cites several reasons,
the principle among them being the erosion of loyalty to the British Crown among
the Indian army and navy personnel as a result of the military activities of
Netaji (Subhashchandra Bose). Towards the end of our discussion, I asked Atlee
what was the extent of Gandhiji’s influence upon the British decision to quit
India. Hearing this question, Atlee’s lips became twisted in a sarcastic smile
as he slowly chewed out the word, m-i-n-i-m-a-l”. [Ranjan Borra,“ Subhashchandra
Bose, The Indian National Army, The War of India’s liberation”. Journal of
Historical review, Vol 20,(2001), No 1 ref. 46]
Bharat is not a mere political entity. This is a cultural unit based on the
perpetual, comprehensive and integral vision built on the eternal thinking and
vision of thousands of years. This vision and culture provide a special identity
to this varied society spreading from the Indian Ocean to the Himalaya.
Therefore, whenever there is a political change, just before that or
simultaneously a process of cultural awakening by a spiritual force takes place
in Bharat. It is visible that if the situation is more critical, the
manifestation of this spiritual force becomes stronger. This is why the Bhakti
Movement spread all over Bharat during the 12th to 16th Centuries during the
Mughul rule. An uninterrupted chain of spiritual great men like sadhus, saints
and sanyasis are seen in every region from Swami Ramanand in the north to
Ramanujacharya in the far south. The tradition of spiritual leaders like Swami
Dayanand Saraswati, Shri Ramkrishna Paramhans and Swami Vivekanand is seen
during the slavery of the British. No political change has been successful or
permanent in the history of Bharat without the cultural awakening. Therefore,
the work of cultural awakening should not be evaluated on the political
parameters. It must be underlined that spiritual and cultural awakening that
goes on silently and calmly has much more significance for a nation like Bharat.
https://organiser.org/2023/06/09/91333/bharat/search-for-swaraj-sangh-freedom-struggle/ -GoTop
SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN samvadnewsletter@gmail.com http://shrivishwaniketan.
