SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN

Ananta Chaturdashi, marked on the Shukla 14 of Bhadrapada, corresponding to 25 September this year, is the last of the ten-day Ganesh Chaturthi festival, and is called Ganesh Chaudas, when devotees bid farewell to Ganesha by immersing the murtis in water. It is an important day in the Jain calendar as well: the ten days of Daslakshan Parv close on Chaturdashi, known there as Ananta Chaudas. Beyond the many rituals, devotees keep a fast on the day.

The day is also dedicated to Bhagwan Vishnu. According to the Agni Purana, the Ananta form of Bhagwan Vishnu — Shesha, the divine serpent — is venerated on this occasion to free adherents from sins.

Dattatreya Hosabale, Sarkaryavah of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, visited Pragjyotishpur University in Assam on September 8. Addressing the university family, he shared perspectives on the role of education, culture and values in shaping society. Highlighting the transformative role of education in societal and national development, he emphasised the need for student-centric, experiential and skill-based learning, and underscored the importance of character building and value education in alignment with the National Education Policy.

Describing students as the foundation of the nation's future, he commended the collective community effort behind the non-profit institution, and made special mention of the inaugural batch, noting their legacy as the university's founding cohort. Earlier, Vice-Chancellor Prof. Raghvendra Prasad Tiwari delivered the welcome address, outlining the university's vision to integrate Indian Knowledge Systems, traditions and values with contemporary global education, and to nurture a generation rooted in its heritage and committed to making Bharat a Vishwaguru. The event was held in the presence of Chancellor Lt. Gen. Rana Pratap Kalita (Retd.).

Following the event, Dattatreya Hosabale, with V. Bhagaiah, Akhil Bharatiya Karyakarini Sadasya, took part in a tree plantation drive on the campus, an initiative connecting education and social responsibility with environmental conservation. Basistha Bujarbaruah, RSS Kshetra Pracharak, and K.N. Raghunandan, Organising Secretary of Vidya Bharati, were among those present.

The RSS is marking its centenary with an expanding programme of overseas engagements, and Sarsanghchalak Dr Mohan Bhagwat toured three countries — the USA, Canada and the United Kingdom — from 25 August to 7 September. In the second leg he arrived in Canada for the first time, and on 30 August addressed a large diaspora gathering themed 'Hindu Vishwa Bandhu — Embrace the World in Friendship' in the Greater Toronto Area. More than 2,500 people from eight Canadian provinces attended. The programme was organised by Canadian Hindus for Outreach, Relations and Dialogue, with support from more than 175 community organisations.

Addressing the gathering, Dr Bhagwat highlighted the principle of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, the belief that the world is one family, and stressed that diversity in languages, traditions and forms of worship should be respected and seen as a source of unity. Former Canadian Defence Minister and Alberta Premier Jason Kenney attended as chief guest, and Kashmir Singh Dhaliwal of Vancouver's Khalsa Diwan Society was guest of honour.

On 1 September the Canadian Hindu Chamber of Commerce hosted an interactive evening in Toronto titled 'Dharma & Enterprise', bringing together business leaders, former government leaders, bureaucrats, entrepreneurs and community members for a conversation on values-driven leadership and responsible enterprise. Topics included the balance between purpose and profit, what is 'enough', the qualities of leadership and the responsibilities of the current generation toward the next.

The same day, members of the Hindu Sikh Unity Forum Canada met Dr Bhagwat for a frank and candid dialogue, including questions often raised about the RSS, its work in society and Hindu-Sikh relations. He responded at length, emphasising dialogue over assumptions and direct engagement over misconceptions, and the discussion reflected on the intertwined history, traditions and cultural bonds of Hindus and Sikhs.

Dr Bhagwat arrived in London on 2 September for the final leg. The London programme was led and coordinated by Integral, a UK-based organisation that brings together leaders and communities to strengthen dialogue and collaboration within the UK and between the UK and Bharat; more than 115 UK-based socio-cultural organisations joined Integral in welcoming him. He met faith leaders, academics, researchers and other public figures, and as part of his interfaith engagement visited the Shree Swaminarayan Temple in Willesden, the Khalsa Jatha British Isles gurdwara, and a Jain temple in London.

A community leaders' reception and civilisational dialogue was held on 6 September under the theme 'Celebration of Oneness', initiated by Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh UK. In a wide-ranging question-and-answer session, Dr Bhagwat addressed some of the most debated and, in his view, least understood ideas associated with the Sangh and Hindu civilisation — from shuddh saatvik prem and the Hindu approach to diversity to the deeper meaning of Hindutva and Rashtra.

The three-country journey focused on civilisational and cultural dialogue, people-to-people relationships, social harmony, and sharing the organisation's century-long experience of character building and seva.

▸ Watch the Canada program

▸ Watch the London dialogue

HSS USA Ramkrishna Shakha in Fairfax celebrated Raksha Bandhan with the Fairfax County Police Department on 9 September. Children, families and senior citizens tied rakhis to the officers as a symbol of respect, gratitude and mutual care, and of the shared responsibility to safeguard one another.

The local Hindu community, with volunteers of HSS USA North Phoenix, Arizona, visited the office of Mayor Kevin Sartor of the City of Surprise and marked Universal Oneness Day by tying rakhis to the Mayor and other office bearers. On 9 September the HSS Katy chapter celebrated with the Katy City Council, karyakartas tying rakshasutras to Mayor Thiele, council member Michael Meihls and others at the City Hall.

On 6 September members and families of HSS visited the Willowfork Fire Department station, where children and families tied rakhis on the wrists of firefighters; the department expressed its gratitude for the recognition of their service. The HSS Solon chapter held its fifth annual Raksha Bandhan Community Celebration at Solon Fire Station #2, where more than 40 volunteers tied rakhi bracelets and sprinkled rice and vermilion on the city's police officers and firefighters, explaining the symbolism of the ceremony over a spread of Bharatiya and American food.

Over the last weekend of August, the Queens District RCMP welcomed members of HSS Canada in celebrating Raksha Bandhan. HSS volunteers tied rakhis to RCMP members, and the initiative was warmly received: the act, they said, represents a mutual vow of care and a solemn promise of protection, honour and lifelong goodwill between individuals and across communities.

In the first week of September the Waterloo Regional Police Service took part in a Raksha Bandhan ceremony with volunteers of HSS at the Kitchener shakha. Volunteers tied rakhis to the wrists of Waterloo Regional Police Service members and prayed for the protection of the community.

HSS volunteers from the Pennsylvania East region and the Jewish community, including StandWithUs, came together for a guided tour at the BAPS Akshardham temple in Hatfield. Jewish community members praised the temple's architecture and the hospitality they received during the visit. The group shared a meal and camaraderie at the cafe inside the temple, and left on a happy note of oneness.

Women from the North Houston chapters of HSS organised a 'Sevika Milan' which brought together 35 volunteers for a day of energy, joy and togetherness. Meditation, lively team-building games and a creative bhajan-composition challenge were the highlights: four teams composed soulful bhajans in just ten minutes, showing both creativity and devotion.

Dr Kiran Heda, an orthodontist, led an informative session on oral hygiene and care. The Milan celebrated learning, teamwork and the spirit of Hindu sisterhood.

Volunteers of Subramanya Bharati Shakha in Bellevue, Washington, organised a blood donation drive that drew an enthusiastic response, with 29 units of blood donated to Bloodworks Northwest.

HSS chapters in the Central Pacific region organised a back-to-school drive called 'Vidyadaan' to serve schoolchildren and schools as they begin a new academic year. Volunteers contributed cash to purchase backpacks and school supplies for distribution to students in need. In Fremont, California, volunteers donated around 40 backpacks and school supplies to Forest Park Elementary and Inclusive World, and 20 more to Thornton Middle School. In Houston, Texas, volunteers of Madhav Shakha donated 360 backpacks to Valley West Elementary School.

Kesari Shakha turned this year's fundraiser into a 'Sewa Shuttle-thon', held at the Hindu Community Centre in Cheltenham, bringing members and the wider community together for a day of indoor games from ten in the morning until four. The event supported Play Gloucestershire, a local charity providing school- and community-based play opportunities for disadvantaged children across the county.

Making full use of the mandir hall, participants of all ages enjoyed friendly badminton, table tennis and board games throughout the day. The event raised £500.

The BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in Paris was officially consecrated and inaugurated on 6 September by His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj. Pradhan Mantri Narendra Modi congratulated the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha and, addressing the gathering virtually, described the inauguration as the beginning of a 'new era' in cultural ties between Bharat and France, saying the temple would become a symbol of Bharat's ancient spiritual traditions and the universal message of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.

A thirteen-day Festival of Culture, the Paris Mandir Mahotsav, was organised from 2 to 14 September, featuring a grand Nagar Yatra, daily Vedic assemblies and community open days. The mandir realises a vision first articulated in 1970 by BAPS's third spiritual head, Yogiji Maharaj, carried forward by his successor Pramukh Swami Maharaj, and completed under Mahant Swami Maharaj.

The Australian Hindu Sporting Federation, the Hindu Council of Australia and Friends of India Australia hosted the inaugural Dharma Games this September, a new community sporting festival. More than 400 people gathered at the Sydney Academy of Sport in Narrabeen for a full day of competition, culture and community.

Twenty-two teams competed across four sports — Futsal, Kho Kho, Throwball and Netball — with players representing four states and territories: Victoria, South Australia, the ACT and New South Wales. Families gathered to support their teams while food stalls kept everyone well fed.

The traditional games corner was a particular highlight, featuring tyre and stick, gilli danda, carrom board, langori, cornhole and other activities that brought the generations together. It was heartwarming to hear comments like 'I haven't played this since I was little!' as children and parents alike joined in. The champion teams were Peculiar FC at Futsal, Western Sydney Asuras at Kho Kho, Victorian Blazers at Throwball and Bhagavad Ballers at Netball.

HSS New Zealand karyakartas of the Arjun Yuva Shakha in Auckland met Rt Hon Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour on 8 September to celebrate the spirit of Raksha Bandhan as Universal Oneness Day. The yuva karyakartas explained how Raksha Bandhan is celebrated and spoke of its deeper message: the bonds of responsibility, respect and togetherness that connect individuals and communities. They also gave an overview of what takes place at an HSS shakha, including activities that encourage discipline, character building, teamwork, leadership, cultural awareness and community service.

The Deputy Prime Minister reciprocated by tying a raksha to the yuva karyakarta. A memento was presented to him carrying the message of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' — the world is one family. Copies of Dr Ratan Sharda's book 'Bringing Communities Together: Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh New Zealand' were presented to the Deputy Prime Minister and to Smt Paramjeet Parmar MP.

Sewa International USA has released $100,000 for Nepal flood relief, while Sewa International Nepal volunteers work on the ground to rescue stranded people and provide emergency assistance in Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading. Sewa is appealing for support and has established a dedicated helpdesk to collect and share information about Americans reported missing or stranded in Nepal, and to coordinate with concerned families and community members.

Within 48 hours Sewa mobilised shelter, protective, food, medical and rescue-support supplies, including 300 heavy-duty twelve-by-fifteen-foot tarpaulins, foam mattresses, raincoats, water bottles, ration kits and volunteer jackets. Sewa is collaborating with the San Antonio Nepali Association, Nepali community partners in North Carolina, Aum Ashram San Antonio, Hindus of Greater Houston and its broader network.

▸ Support the Nepal Flash Flood Relief

▸ Nepal rescue helpdesk

Sewa's wildfire recovery effort provided mattresses, blankets and essential materials to 100 affected families in the first phase of the disaster response in Spokane Valley, Washington, on 16 August. Volunteers of the Sewa International Seattle chapter, with LEAD students and alumni, organised and transported relief supplies to the affected communities.

Volunteers transported mattresses, pillows and 150 blankets to Arlington Airport near Seattle for air shipment, with Coulee Dam identified as the destination for the blanket shipment. At the distribution site Sewa volunteers received the shipment, loaded it to vehicles and worked with a local logistics partner to reach the families that needed bedding.

Sewa Phoenix began its Adopt-a-Street initiative along Lake Pleasant Parkway in Peoria, Arizona, on 15 August. Volunteers removed litter and helped maintain the area as a clean and welcoming public space. The City of Peoria accepted Sewa International's proposal to maintain a one-mile stretch of the road between Happy Valley Road and Pinnacle Peak Road, and Sewa Phoenix is committed to organising cleanup activities along the adopted stretch three times a year.

A Shraddhanjali Sabha in remembrance of A Balakrishnan, President of Vivekanand Kendra, was held in New Delhi on 10 September, honouring a life devoted to the service of society. RSS Sarsanghchalak Dr Mohan Bhagwat offered Pushpanjali and remembered him as a Sampoorna Karyakarta whose life was defined by an unwavering commitment to duty; his dedication, simplicity and steadfast sense of duty remain an enduring example of selfless service.

Condolence messages from Mata Amritanandamayi and Pradhan Mantri Narendra Modi were read during the Sabha. Earlier, on 7 September, a Shraddhanjali Sabha was held in Guwahati where eminent personalities including RSS Sarkaryavah Dattatreya Hosabale paid tributes. A Balakrishnan passed away on 26 August at the age of 88.

Param Pujaniya Sarsanghchalak Dr Mohan Bhagwat's sojourn in North America was initiated as a routine global dialogue tour of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. As this is the centenary year of the Sangh, the tour gained more publicity, and those who opposed it helped enhance the curiosity. This was all along expected lines. But three public addresses changed the orbit completely. It was a quantum jump in the mission of rousing humanity.

The eternal message of Hindutva has been disseminated throughout the world for ages. This has been the life mission of Bharat. The same thought was expressed in three different dimensions, according to the occasion and the audience. In the first programme, an interfaith dialogue titled 'One World, One Humanity', Mohan Ji asserted the immortal proclamation of the Rishis, that truth is one and knowledgeable seers express it variously — in contemporary idiom, unity manifesting in diversity.

The next large multinational gathering at Madison Square Garden witnessed a futuristic elaboration of the foundational concept of Hindutva: Oneness. The concept of Brahmanda is more profound than the expression 'Universe', but due to the limitations of the English language it had to be explained in established terms such as 'Universal Oneness'. The third programme, in Toronto, was on the role of Hindus and Bharat in guiding humanity towards practising this art and science of harmonious living. To regain the acclaimed position of Vishwaguru, a Hindu must first become Vishwabandhu — friend of all.

All three messages are essentially a gradual unfolding of the eternal principle of existential unity. Oneness and its omnipresence, its diverse manifestations, and the benevolent role of Hindus in re-establishing this harmonious world order — all three are essential today. Mohan Ji explained the vision, Oneness; its application, Diversity; and its process, Brotherhood, respectively in the three addresses.

Everything in Bharat is neither the first nor novel, and the same is true of this call to rise. It has happened innumerable times in the known and documented history of Bharat. But in recent times in North America, this is the third wave of enlightenment from the land of the Vedas. The US, being the self-proclaimed dominant leader of the world, amplified these waves to affect western intellectuals and academics, and then to ripple across the whole world.

The first wave was Swami Vivekananda's Chicago Address on 11 September 1893. At the World's Parliament of Religions, organised by the Church to declare Christianity the supreme religion, Swamiji delivered the all-inclusive message of Hindutva. It is even now celebrated as a clarion call for universal brotherhood. This was continued by Swami Abhedananda, Swami Ramananda, Swami Yogananda, Shri La Prabhupada and many others. A great contribution to the west's journey of self-realisation was made by Osho Rajneesh and Maharshi Mahesh Yogi in the last century. All of them faced irrational opposition, character assassination and institutional obstruction, but the wave of Oriental awakening perpetuated.

It was taken forward in the present era by contemporary gurus such as TVS Iyengar, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Sadguru Jaggi Vasudev and Swami Ramdev. One of the greatest self-realised masters of the present times is Mata Amritanandamayi, whose divine hug of oneness has transformed millions of sadhakas in more than 180 countries. All this Hindu influence actualised in the second wave of enlightenment on 21 June 2015, in the form of the International Day of Yoga. The whole world was inspired to search within by practising oneness through Yoga. This was the invocation of Bharat Mata becoming Vishwaguru once again.

The present visit is in the same league — the third wave of enlightenment. Swami Vivekananda philosophically illustrated the oneness of Hindus when he said we do not just tolerate other religions, we accept every religion as true. The second wave, the International Day of Yoga, put this transcendence into practice when millions of followers of various religious ideologies came together to perform yogic practices.

It was another Vivekananda moment when Mohan Ji summed up the message of the interfaith meet by saying that there are multiple ways to reach the ultimate truth. One can seek the Supreme through various paths; every genuine enquiry of a seeker, practised incessantly, has the potential to reach the same Absolute. This is very natural for a Hindu who chants many shlokas.

For a follower of any of the Abrahamic religions, this all-inclusive monotheism is very hard to swallow. For them there is only one God, one messenger and one path to salvation. If they accept that there can be multiple paths to Mukti, it takes away their foundation for conversion. This is what Swami Vivekananda did 133 years ago when he called the church bell rung in honour of the conference a death knell for bigotry and hatred towards others.

Mohan Ji's definition of Hindutva as an inclusive way of life is of the same order. His most discussed and misquoted statement — that if anyone imagines Bharat without any Muslim, he is not a Hindu — in fact enshrines the basic principle that all religions are true. This is the essence of Hindu Dharma: we do not believe in annihilation, we assimilate all. All the Hindus in Bharat envision an integrated Bharat, and for that we all have to learn to live together amicably. This is possible only when Hindus are united and strong; when Hindu Dharma weakens, the world suffers intolerance and violence.

Eleanor Stark, in 1988, wrote a book titled 'The Gift Unopened: A New American Revolution'. She called Swami Vivekananda's message the gift unopened by Americans, and argued that the problems the US faced at that time could have been avoided had they heeded the teachings of Vedanta. Americans, she wrote, wasted a great opportunity, and she called upon them to awaken.

The first wave of enlightenment was triggered by the individual brilliance of Swami Vivekananda, unbacked by any institutional mechanism; its effect was more of an awe, and it helped Swamiji start a mission in Bharat. The second was backed by many institutions, albeit competing, and finally with government backing succeeded in the declaration of the International Day of Yoga; its influence is exemplary yet limited to the discipline of Yoga.

The RSS is not just any organisation, nor is it an institute. It is a culmination of the millennia-long penance of the Bharatiya Rishis, and represents Hindu thought as it has evolved eternally. The unique nature of the third wave makes it distinctly transformative: the first wave gave the intellectual foundation, the second gave the process, and the third is holistic, providing an organic ecology for comprehensive solutions to most of the contemporary challenges before humanity. It is our cosmic responsibility not only to celebrate this historic Vivekananda moment but to resolve to contribute to actualising the vision of one world, one family.

First published in Organiser
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