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Param-pujaniya Sarsanghchalakji, respected Akhil Bharatiya Padadhikari, Members of the Akhil Bharatiya Karyakarini, Honorable Officials and other members of the Akhil Bharatiya Karyakari Mandal, all the Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhis and all the special invitees [Mothers, Sisters and Brothers] actively engaged in various fields – with great pleasure, I take this opportunity to welcome you here in the Akhil Bhartiya Pratinidhi Sabha being held at the historic Kurukshetra, where lord Krishna revealed the immortal "Geeta", which inspired the confused Arjun to achieve victory over "Adharma".
The Agenda for this Pratinidhi Sabha is as follows:-
(a) An overview of our works and activities till date
(b) Assessment of various programmes and projects completed so far
(c) Exchange of views and experiences
(d) Discuss, examine and analyze the challenges facing the Nation in the present context and the new situations that are arising because of such challenges
(e) Explore right solutions and outline future plans accordingly
(f) Also delineate paths for implementing such plans and programmes
However, before we proceed further, it will be very apt on this occasion to remember and pay homage to our departed colleagues. Those noble souls were always beloved and highly honoured by all of us. They had inspired us not only by their commitment, diligence and unstinted faith in the virtuous principles, but also by their very affectionate behavior. It is through their consummate vision and exemplary contributions in all the different walks of life they have left an indelible mark particularly on the political and social canvass of our country. We sadly miss their presence today but their memories will forever remain a guiding force to all of us and as they have done before they will continue to inspire us and motivate us to take strides towards a glorious future.
HOMAGE
The man who has served our noble purpose, our priceless close associate, Shri Nanaji Deshmukh, bid good-bye to this world after completing 93 years of a glorious life filled only with exceptional service to society and ending it by donating his body. He sacrificed a promising political career to provide all the fruits of his limitless vision, scholarship and experience to the younger generations and spent his entire energy to bring about social transformation in more than 500 villages around UP/ MP border. The projects at Gonda and Chitrakoot shall ever remain the unforgettable symbols of his memory. He truly deserves to be called a “Shreshtha Karmayogi”.
Dr Sripati Shastri passed away in Pune, recently. On innumerable occasion we were blessed by his guidance as he was Akhil Bharatiya Sah Boudhik Pramukh and was also Karyawah of Maharashtra Prant over a number of years. His in-depth vision, eminent scholarship, superb eloquence and unique accomplishments were solely dedicated to Sangh-Karya. He made special contributions in the fields of education and social fields. The vibrance of his selfless work was heard throughout Maharashtra but Pune was nucleus of his activities. He had innumerable friends all over and the absence of such an inspiring personality amongst us today is deeply felt.
Dr Krishnamurty, the Saha Prant Sanghchalak of Dakshin Karnatak Prant, who impressed us all by his simple life-style, amiable nature and his soft-spoken manners. He left us very early. Cancer had him eventually but the disease could never conquer his indomitable spirit.
Shri Natwarsinghji Waghela, popularly known as ‘Bapu’ within a circle of swayamsevaks in Gujarat left us and proceeded for his heavenly abode. He not only guided but also looked after several workers. He lived with exemplary simplicity, and always emphasized on attending daily Shakhas. Age never could be a hindrance to his penchant for hard work.
Honorable Omprakashji Maigi, whose dedicated efforts resulted in expansion of Sangh-Karya in Jammu & Kashmir and gave it a glorious stature, whose guidance as Prant Sanghchalak was invaluable, also completed his life’s journey.
Dr Subhashji, who contributed to the growth of Sangh-Karya in Himachal Pradesh as Sah- Prant Karyawah, also left us.
Shri Bhimsen Rao Deshpande, was Dharma Jagaran Pramukh for Andhra; he worked as co-editor of “Jagruti”, a weekly circulated in different districts of Andhra Pradesh. He along with his entire family humbly played a crucial role in Sangh-Karya. He had been assisting and guiding the Swayamsevaks in relief work during natural calamities and in development works while spreading awareness amongst scheduled castes and tribes. He established 100 Hanuman Temples in tribal villages. In spite of such labour intensive engagements, he translated and published Sixth volume of “Guruji Samagra Darshan” in Telgu. He was very soft spoken and possessed an extremely pleasant personality also left this world after suffering a sudden massive heart attack. He donated his eyes before finally leaving for his heavenly destination. His wishes were fulfilled accordingly.
Shri Brijkishore ji, Vyawastha Pramukh of Poorva-Uttarkshetra, passed away after an illness.
Senior Pracharak of Tamilnadu, Shri B Uttamraj ji, who entered the service sector of Blood Donation inspired by Late Shivram Pant ji, left us just after a brief illness. An ultra-modern Blood-Bank of Chennai will keep the memories of ‘Uttamraj’ alive in our hearts for years to come.
Then we lost Shri Kaushalanand ji Sinha, former Baudhik Pramukh for Eastern UP, who was regional organizing secretary of the National Education Board.
Shri Raghumani Sharma, one of the first Swayamsevaks from Manipur, an Ex MP and ex president of the Bharatiya Jana-Sangh (Manipur) passed away just after offering his last salute to Parampujaniya Sarasanghachalak ji.
Past Zonal Co-ordinator of Itihas Sankalan Yojana, Shri Mithileshji Srivastava; Shri Ganesh Dutt ji Saraswat, ex- president of Sahakar Bharati, Awadh Prant; Shri Cittaranjan ji Kolhatkar, president Sanskar Bharati, Maharashtra Prant, and well known personality in the field of Marathi drama, Shri Viraduraju Ramaraju, ex-president of VHP and eminent Littérateur - honored with many prestigious awards including Gyanpad award; Shri Purnam Lakshmi Narayanan, ex-president of Bharatiya Vichar Kendram [Vidya Bharati – Andhra Pradesh and many other senior colleagues have been lost to us.
Shri Udyam ji, organizing secretary of Vidya Bharati [Bihar-Jharkhand] ever smiling and spreading happiness around, could not survive a serious heart attack. His absence amongst us is difficult to believe.
Shri Manmohan Rai was inspired to become a swayamsevak in his youth after reading magazine ‘Swastika’ published in Bengal. As a pracharak he continued his work diligently in a most challenging environment and remained wholeheartedly committed to sangh principles. It was a sad coincidence that his younger brother too became his co-passenger on his heavenly journey.
The well known Industrialist and social worker of Pune, Shri. Purshottam bhai Shroff passed away after leading a meritorious life of 84 years. He had completed his 3rd year Sangh Shiksha Varg of Pune in 1941 and was a founding pillar of the “Swarupwardhini”. Around that time we also lost Shri. Bramhanandji Panda of Cuttak(Orissa), who graced many of our programs as the chief guest and was a strong pillar for “Vidyabharati”.
Shri Suryakant Acharyaji, a swayamsevak of Junagarh (Gujarat) since childhood and a long time political activist of Jana-Sangh. Former pracharak Shri. Divvel Krishnamurtiji of Prakasham district (Andhra Pradesh); Shri.Ramawtar Mahana ji, one time District and Mahanagar Sanghchalak for Kanpur; prominent businessman Shri.Pradeep Mehrotra ji of Kannauj (Brother of Late. Shri Sharad Mehrotra ji – Ex-Prantpracharak of Madhya Bharat); very senior pracharak, Shri. Babulaji Namdev who was in charge of our Jabalpur karyalaya for many years; Shri. Gandhiram Timagu ji of Karbiyanglang in Assam and Sri. Kamlesh Kumar (Jilla Pracharak Singroli) who got killed in a road accident and Shri. Vipin Namdeo (Tahsil Pracharak); all left us. Shri. Narendra bhai Shah, who had earned a place of profound respect in the social life of Kenya, who was a central pillar of Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh of Kenya, also left us.
Shri Jyoti Basu – ex-chief minister of West Bengal – ever engaged during his memorably long political career; Shri Janeshwar Mishra, a pillar of socialist ideology – also known as ‘Lohiya- Junior’; Shri Ashwathji well known for his achievements in the field of music; Shri Shantilalji Somayya – who considered inculcation of moral values and virtuous teachings as basic aim in education - who established many prestigious educational institutions and arranged for inclusion of religion, philosophy and culture as recognized aspects of education in these institutions – was himself wholehearted participant in all such activities initiated by sangh swayamsevakas. Shri Arun Kamble, even while treading a different path dedicating his life and vision to the growth of awareness and development work amongst the dalit samaj, allowed his son to follow the path of the RSS. This great man continued his work till the very end of his life. Shri.Vishnuvardhan ji of Karnataka cine world, 92 years old Shree Govind Vinayak alias Vinda Karandikar ji, a novelist sage, Dyanpeeth Award winner, is no more.
Thus, recently we have lost many renowned personalities who were revered and respected for their accomplishments in the fields of Art and Culture.
By observing a silence for a few minutes we will pay our humble homage with a deep sense of gratitude to great personalities who sacrificed their all serving the mankind but who continue to light our paths with the brilliance of their noble and gallant acts and to all those selfless workers and martyrs in the country and to those who laid down their lives in natural as well as manmade disasters and accidents all over the world, to those who had been victims of violent and senseless acts of terrorism. We express our deepest sympathies and share the grief of all the family members, relatives, friends and colleagues.
AN OVERVIEW OF ANNUAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS
The annual training camps were conducted in the months of May – June 2009 at 68 centers throughout the country. The camps for the first year trainees were planned by the respective prants where as the camps for the second year trainees were conducted and planned by the kshetriya units. Appreciating the constraints of language in regions such as South-Central and Eastern special language based camps were organized.
All together, 10623 trainees from 7078 different villages/ districts/ towns/ cities attended the ‘First Year’ camps conducted at 47 centers while camps for the ‘Second Year’ at 13 centers were attended by 2581 trainees from 2116 different villages/ districts/ towns/ cities. The training camp for the third year at Nagpur had a net strength of 923 and the participants were from 859 different places. A special camp for ‘First Year’ conducted at 7 centre participating 346 trainees from 279 places. A special camp for the ‘Third Year’ was additionally organised in December this year in which 310 trainees from 251 places participated.
No special additional Shiksha varga for ‘Second Year’ was conducted last year. However, in the current year [2010], special vargas for the ‘Second Year’ are going to be organized during May - June at selected centers across the country. As per information available on date a total of 39823 Shakhas are being run at 27089 places. Saptahik Milan is held at 7356 centers and Sangha-mandali is organised at 6949 places.
This Statistical data gives us an idea of our work. We have observed in the last three to four years that the fluctuation in numbers is a usual phenomenon and forms a sort of pattern. These variations need not be considered as aberrations or glaring instances. What is genuinely immediate is to concentrate on qualitative improvement. Attention must be drawn to the fact that the interest of our workers towards Shakha – Tolis, and Upkramshilta etc is increasing.
The achievements of various programmes conducted over the last year are clear pointers that we are step by step progressing towards quality improvement and consolidating our work. However, it must be admitted that time has now come to focus our energies on amplification of numbers by way of increasing number of the Shakas and the locations.
Though, the numbers have not substantially soared up in the past years it is highly endearing that the process of visualizing new policies for achieving organizational growth, in terms of its spread and strength, is gaining momentum through the visits of all Adhikaris to different prants under the all India plan. The programmes conducted in different regions are ample pointers of speeding up activities in this direction at all levels.
VISITS BY PARAMPUJANIYA SARSANGHCHALAKJI
The visits of Shri Mohanji Bhagwat to prime locations across the country were planned as per our tradition soon after he took over the responsibilities of Parampujaniya Sarsanghchalak. In order to strengthen the organization through these visits, three programmes were particularly organized at each place – Sarsanghchalak Pranam, Samajik Sadbhava Baithaks and Open Press Conference at select places. These programmes were conducted. Every local volunteer worked hard for their success at each place. Especially the programmes in Delhi, Mahakaushal and Keral were extraordinarily impressive. The function in Keral was perhaps the largest till date. A congregation of almost 92000 uniformed Swayamsevaks at one place is unique just by itself. All the print and electronics and media channels gave ample coverage acknowledging the strength of the Sangh.
The reports and information available confirm that the programmes all over the country were attended by 260731 uniformed Swayamsevaks and citizens including women and children attended in good number.
Samajik Sadbhavana Meetings. Number of meetings with prominent leaders and spokespersons of different communities, religious groups, sects and castes were organised at various places. More than 3000 prominent persons attended these meetings.
Mumbai, as we all know is a multilingual city. Therefore, a special meeting was convened with leading and influential personalities from the affluent sections of society. Considering the peculiar situation prevailing in Jammu & Kashmir, a special meeting of a different nature was arranged. More than 1000 prominent citizens participated in that meeting. Hundred and fifty venerated saints participated in group meetings organized at nine different places. These efforts had a dual aim: one was to establish communication where it was lacking and the other was to keep it alive where it was already in place.
The general refrain that came out was of fraternity and brotherhood [‘We are sons of the same mother – We are brothers’]. We should be wary of those trying to divide and disintegrate our society into fragments. We should be prepared to protect our society from the nefarious and destructive plans of such elements – This sentiment was at the forefront in all the community meetings.
We all need to introspect on how to counter the effect of the various ill-conceived notions and practices that have crept into our daily lives over the years and protect our society from plaguing problems. The need of raising awareness by each person in one’s own circle of influence was also discussed. Free entry into temples, elimination of untouchability and discrimination, inter-caste marriages, visits by saints and sages to deprived/harijan localities to deliver discourses, allowing a graceful and honorable way for anyone who wants to return to Hinduism [irrespective of the reason for earlier conversion] – were some issues that essentially called for a community approach. The many representatives of the different communities and sects had participated in these meetings with lot of faith and affection and expressed their high expectations from us. We therefore, need to put in well planned efforts in future at different places in this direction.
The public programmes highlighted the serious concerns related to border security, large scale infiltration, rising terrorism, spreading naxal menace and a growing sense of insecurity, distrust and infighting due to intensified regional chauvinism in the political sphere.
There is a clear need to be vigilant about hegemonic outlook of the USA and expansionist attitude China. The world has been largely under the influence of capitalist and materialist ideology. The long term pitfalls of this approach must be clearly understood as we aim for a policy based on our traditional village oriented de-centralized structure which alone can give boost to employment. It is our firm conviction that in the present context this is the only alternative.
The solution to all the maladies of our country’s lies only in ‘Hindutva’ and so another crucial option that is left before us is to rejuvenate the sense of self-belief and create National Consciousness in our Hindu Samaj. This is the agenda of the Sangh. And this in short is the message of all the programmes of the Sarsanghchalaka.
The interaction with the media persons during the press conferences was fruitful. The press conference at Delhi was particularly impressive and boasted the largest attendance. All the media cooperated wholeheartedly. “Meet the Press” programs at Nagpur, Chandigarh and Tiruvanantapuram were arranged by the journalists.
The world is slowly beginning to recognize and acknowledge the approach and work of the sangh. Representatives of a few countries had meetings with Parampujaniya Sarsanghchalakji. The positive approach exhibited in these interactions is a welcome sight.
Akhil Bharatiya meeting of "Mahavidyalayin Vibhag" and "Bal Vibhag": Bhopal
The Akhil Bharatiya meeting of "Prant Mahavidyalayin Pramukh"s" and "Prant Bal vibhag Pramukh"s" was held at Bhopal on 8,9 August 2009. 49 Karyakartas of "mahavidyalayin Vibhag" from 38 Prant and 33 Karyakartas of "Bal vibhag" from 23 Prant attended the meeting. According to the report at that time, there were 440 Shakhas of "Mahavidyalayin Tarun" (96 more than last year), 728 Saptahik Milan (225 more than last year), and 191 Sangh Mandali (26 more than last year). The outline of programs for "Bal" and "Tarun" was chalked out in the meeting. According to it, Shibir"s (camps) and other programs for Bal Swaqyamsevaks share to be held. For college students, four programs were chalked out, namely, birth anniversary of Swami Vivekanand, "Akhand Bharat samkalp din", annual function of shakha with emphasis on physical demonstrtations, and such programs so as to test and develop the daring spirit of youth. It was also decided to arrange to visit and study various social service projects (Seva Karya), to arrange special meetings for students of 10th class as well as their parents.
Vishesh Sampark Yojna An Akhil Bhartiya meeting was held at Mumbai on 5-6 September, 2009 under the “Vishesh Sampark Yojana” for determining the methodology and process for fruitful interaction with prominent citizens of National and International stature. 36 karyakartas from 22 prants participated in the meeting. This two-day meeting involved detailed discussions and along with in-house training programme focused on the topic ‘Contacting and Interacting with the Special Group of People’. The next meeting under this plan was held in Delhi from 19th to 20th March 2010.
Meeting to increase Sangh-Karya in college students. The work among college students is on the increase day by day all over the country. Activists of eminent educational Institutions like IIMs, IITs and Central Universities etc. held a meeting at Mumbai 29-30 December, 2009 in furtherance of this cause. 54 activists from 22 different Institutions participated in the gathering. Discussions and Workshops were held on the subject of increasing Sangh-Karya amongst students of these illustrious Institutions.
Samajik Samarasata Abhyas Varg were planned in Jaipur, Gaya and Bhagyanagar. Karyakartas those who are involved in studies of social subjects while working in various sectors were expected to participate.
It was organized to have discussion forum on various subjects like analysis of efforts towards samarasata; reservations: constitutional status and today’s reality; conspiracies of anti-national forces; efforts for samarasata from a family and within a family; a village and samarasata etc. Karyakartas from sang and public organizations were present in these varga. Karyakartas from all prants other than eastern states have participated. Keeping in mind the special circumstances of eastern states, separate varga are being organized
SPECIAL PROGRAMMES ORGANISED IN DIFFERENT PRANTS [REGIONS]
Meeting with Prospective Students: [Bhagyanagar]. In the last few years we have started efforts towards increasing awareness about our work amongst the college students. Programmes were arranged in Paschim Andhra Prant at Jilla and Vibhag level by compiling a list of students undergoing graduation. A two day study seminar of such students was conducted during the month of January 2010. A total of 107 students participated out of which 30 students were in the final year of graduation.
Gathering of Retired and about to Retire Swayamsevaks A list of 200 such Swayamsevaks was prepared in Paschim Andhra Pradesh. The last meeting held in January was attended by 120 Swayamsevaks. The result has been encouraging. Eight Swayamsevaks volunteered for full time work where as many expressed their commitment to devote 8 – 10 hrs every day for Sangh work.
Anti – Terrorism Day: [Bhagyanagar] Anti-Terrorism Day was organised on 17 September 2009 at Bhagyanagar in association with ‘Hindu Vahini’. 5000 youths participated in the rally Most of them had their first exposure to the Sangh.
Vibhag-wise Residential Camp of Young Swayamsevaks: [Poorva Andhra] After a gap of 10 years, two day residential camps for the Swayamsevaks of Poorva Andhra were organised with the aim of gathering together of old and new Swayamsevaks and to bring an improvement in their level of active participation, planning skill and an enhancement in their organizational ability. The year long effort put in yielded good results. 5130 Swayamsevaks from 870 places across the Prant participated. While 90% of the participants were existing Swayamsevaks, 50% belonged to the age group 15-25 yrs. Both the groups benefited immensely in each others company. Another important feature was the effective and successful implementation of two tier resource planning that enabled well planned conduct of the “Gau Gram Yatra” during the same period.
Special Bal Shivir : [Vidharbha Prant] The camp for selected ‘Bal’ swayamsevaks from different town [Nagars] studying in Class VII to Class IX was organised at Amravati from 16th to 20th December 2009. A total of 2300 swayamsevaks were pre-selected on the basis of certain criteria like attending Guru-pujan and Vijayadashami functions in Sangh uniform, regular attendance in daily Shakhas and participation in specified physical and intellectual exercises etc. A month in advance, special independent shakha for each nagar was run to have combined practices and shortlist candidates.
The announcement that only 22 swayamsevaks per nagar out of those selected previously made everyone competitive. One bal-swayamsevak established a personal record by performing 552 surya-namaskars while another accomplished 3200 prahars. Subhashit, amrut-vachans, shivir geet [Camp-Song] and at least one more had to be memorized by heart. Many swayamsevaks had memorized more than 10 subhashitas to beat the competition. 0ne swayamsevak from Vanvasi Kshetra had 72 stories ready in his kitty. In the end 1565 candidates were earmarked out of which 1545 swayamsevaks attended the camp – 20 had to miss out due to their school exams.
Sudden and un-seasonal rains disrupted the arrangements but the response was totally disciplined. The Band [Ghosh] comprising 240 swayamsevaks was the special attraction during the camp. The concluding ceremony was conducted in the presence of Parampujaniya Sarsanghchalakji. As a follow up measure plans are being drawn for participation in ‘Prathamik’ training camps at primary level, conduct of Monthly Study Groups, Van-Sanchar, Vibhagshah Camps etc.
Special Activity: Mahal Prabhat Shakha, NagpurAn extraordinary example of what a single shakha can achieve through sheer determination, resolve and proper planning has been demonstrated by the Mahal Prabhat Shakha of Nagpur. This Shakha is held in the area where the ancestral home of Parampujya Dr Hedgewar is located. The visit of Parampujaniya Sarsanghchalakji to this shakha was decided four months in advance. Initial meetings to formalize responsibilities, make working groups, and to list out and finalize the visit, were held. It was decided to conduct a painting competition in order to have active participation of local residents. The program for collecting signatures, funds, Yatra etc in relation to “Gau Gram Yatra” was extended into house to house contact program.
Group meetings, upasthiti week, citizens awareness meets were also organised. In all 1700 families were contacted. 100 new swayamsevaks were made. The actual program was conducted on 09 February 2010. Interactive session with Parampujaniya Sarsanghchalakji was scheduled during Prabhat Shakha in which 222 young men participated. 28 prominent citizens of the locality participated in a gathering organized on the same day. An open audience meet was organized in the evening attended by 1211 persons [261 sisters and 950 brothers] which was addressed by Parampujaniya Sarsanghchalakji highlighting the life of Pujya Doctorji. Such inspiring program organised by a Prabhat Shakha is indeed a worthy example to follow.
Surya-Namaskar and Prahar competition Yajna : [North Bengal] In Uttar Banga Prant 5500 swayamsevaks performed 2,66,006 surya-namaskars at 207 places in their respective Shakhas in one day during the three day [19, 20 & 21 February 2010] surya-namaskar competition. One shakha of Malda District recorded the highest number – 14895 while one swayamsevak carried on for 7 hours and 10 minutes setting a record of 1700 surya-namaskars. 3000 swayamsevaks performed 17 lakh prahars between 23 & 25 November 2009 at 128 Shakhas. One shakha from North Murshidabad performed a record 4,81,536 prahars while one swayamsevak alone performed 37,777 prahars.
Two Day Camp for Proudha Swayamsevaks: [Chittore Prant]928 swayamsevaks from 113 places participated in the two day camp for proudh swayamsevaks of Chittore Prant. Shri Hari ji and Shri Bhagayya ji were present. The camp would be useful from the point of channelising the social role and contribution of seniors and retired personnel.
College Students Camp:[Kanpur Prant] In anticipation of this camp, programmes like ‘Know the Sangh’ [Sangh Parichaya Varga], ‘Akhand Bharat Sankalp Diwas’ etc were conducted at 125 different centers. The camp was attended by 881 students out of which 20% were new. The camp received guidance from Parampujaniya Sarsanghchalakji and Sah Sar-Karyavah Shri Hosbaleji. 15 new ‘Shakhas’, 5 ‘Saptahik Milans’ and 5 ‘Sangh Mandalis’ were started as a result this camp. 2 students volunteered for ‘Vistarak’ work while 50 participated in the ‘Prathamik Shiksha Varg’.
Surya-Namaskar Competition in 4 Jilla of Kashi Prant Sonbhadra Vibhag was conducted. For this purpose a toli of 165 Karyakarta was arranged. It resulted in participation of 10,657 swayamsevaks from 176 Shakhas and in performance of a total of 3,53,699 surya-namaskars.
Shakha Darshan (Jharkhand). The program envisaged that one karyakarta will visit one shakha consecutively for four days and also visit nearby villages for establishing contacts. The duration for the exercise was from 01st to 04th October. In all, 338 karyakartas established communion with 319 village Shakhas and 294 villages in this short span of time. Owing to this the number of Shakhas in the region increased from 322 to 400 resulting in enhanced the efficiency and enthusiasm of our karyakartas.
Camp for College Students (Mahakoshal Prant) Continuous efforts since 2008 have resulted in appreciable increase in the attendance of Shakhas, Milans and Sangh Mandalis in Mahakoshal Prant. In September 2009 district wise “Prathamic Shiksha Varg” were organized in which 556 students participated. 20,000 students participated in different meetings conducted Tahasilwise.
The camp for Mahakoshal Prant was conducted at Jabalpur from 29th to 31st Janaury 2010, in whch 52 lecturers, 80 teachers, 190 others and 1170 students participated. The special feature was the full time attendance of one ex and one present Vice-Chancellor.
Tehsil Karyavah Varg The three day Varg was conducted from19th to 21st February 2010 which saw participation of 182 workers from 26 district centers and 160 members from tehsil centres. The pre-instructions to conduct and observe various shakha related activities like Milans, Manadali Working and Shakha Toli meetings before coming for the camp were followed by almost 70% of the karyawahs.
‘Seva Sangam’ Organised by Rashtriya Seva Bharati:[Bengaluru] ‘Seva Sangam’ was organised at Bengaluru from 6th to 8th February 2010. The work in service sector has been going one for the last 20 years. 6th to 8th February programme provided a right occasion to plan a befitting celebration. A total of 1.56 lakh ‘Service Projects’ are being run and managed under the patronage of 10 different organizations across the country. Out of these almost 60000 ‘Service Projects’ are run by locally formed Trusts/ Institutions at district and city/ town level. The ‘Seva Sangam” programme was organized under the guidance of Rashtriya Seva Bharati, which upholds the aim of providing local bodis with synchronized lateral coordination, meeting their training needs and offering them a platform for greater national exposure.
930 participants [including 75 women] representing 452 organizations from across the country attended this program at Bengaluru. The inaugural function was graced by the inspirational presence of Ex-Sarsanghchalak Man. Shri Sudarshan ji and Pujya Shri Shri Ravi Shankar ji. The opening session of the function, attended by prominent citizens of Bengaluru, was addressed by Parampujya Sarsanghchalak Shri Mohan ji Bhagwat and Yog – Guru Baba Ramdev ji. The Chief Minister of Karnatak was especially present on the occasion.
Other sessions were presided over by Sah-Sar-Karyavah Shri Dattatreya Hosbale and Shri Madandas ji Devi respectively who guided the gathering. The closing ceremony was guided by Man. Sar-Karyavah Shri Bhaiyya ji Joshi. This ‘Seva Sangam’ program will prove to be a milestone for future all round growth and expansion of the service work. The message imbibed by every karyakarta attending this programme was to work for all round quantitative and qualitative growth with full resolve and determination.
SEVA - KARYA
Cleaning of Kshipra River by Swayamsevaks:[Ujjain].The flow of pavitra Kshipra River was restricted due to poor rainfall and accumulated chemical waste resulting in lowering the water handling capacity of the river bed. The swayamsevaks of Ujjain resolved to take up the challenge and set about it with full determination. In the first stage 900m of the river bed was cleaned. The swayamsevaks were successful in garnering the support of different social, political and service minded trusts and institutions in their noble enterprise. The program continued over a period of 21 days and the river bed was deepened by 41998 cum through participation of 11950 volunteers from 190 institutions in and around Ujjain. This was a unique experiment in taking up a challenge and motivating the society in performing the noble cause.
Flood Havoc in Andhra Pradesh. The two districts of A.P. Kurnool and Palmur [Mehboobnagar] were worst affected by the terrible floods of October 2009. It is said that devastating floods of such magnitude were not seen in the last 100 years. These districts normally remain dry. More than 200 persons and many cattle became victims of the cruel flood and lost their lives and property worth crores of rupees washed away. Swayamsevaks started the relief work at the earliest under the aegis of ‘Seva Bharati’. Arrangements were made at 156 villages to supply meals and essential life support material [Clothing, Blankets and First Aid etc] to the affected people. Medical services were organised at 83 villages. The relief work involved 2800 volunteers and an amount of 8.71 crores. This was possible only through the concerted efforts and active support of different social service organizations and institutions.
NATIONAL SCENARIO
The political scenario of the country is an issue of a major concern. The state of Jammu & Kashmir has been progressing towards peace in the last few years but once again it appears that anti-national and separatist forces are becoming increasingly active. It is unfortunate that the policies of the central government as well as those of the state government appear to be indirectly strengthening these forces. In consequence, they are proving to be counter-productive to the national interest.
The recommendations of Justice Sadir Ahmed Committee to provide more autonomy to the state will strengthen the separatist tendencies. The conclusions of this committee should be analyzed in proper context and must be scrapped. In fact the efforts should concentrate towards further assimilation of the state with the country by abrogation of special powers granted under Art. 370 rather than permit continuation of these powers in the name of autonomy through subtle acrobatics.
The attitude of the central government appears to be just the opposite. There is an increase in terrorist and separatist activities while infiltration is continuing unabated. On the other hand the government is bent upon providing psychological advantage to the anti-national forces by withdrawing army from the valley.
The conditions of the persecuted Hindu refugees from West Pakistan, of Kashmiri Pandits who were forced to flee the valley because of insecurity and of persons displaced from the borders for various reasons have been of grave concern over many decades. The government is not serious about its responsibilities. The Home Minister is extending an open invitation to the terrorists hiding in POK as well as other unwelcome elements to return to the valley promising comprehensive financial and material support in the name of rehabilitation
Internal security The central and state governments have taken commendable steps by initiating armed action against the naxalites who are a danger to the internal security of the nation. The action should be continued with determination and the naxal problem be eliminated completely. The intellectuals tom-taming the lack of development as the reason for growth in naxalism conveniently forgets the reality that it is the naxals themselves who are hindrance to development. The approach that interprets naxalism through the prism of development is, therefore, basically flawed. The initiative of the Home Minister to seek talks with the naxalites is most inappropriate when he is creditably pursuing strong anti-naxal action. It has been a regular experience that naxals take advantage of such overtures to strengthen themselves and further their nefarious aims.
Dialogue with Pakistan The unilateral decision of the Government of India to hold talks with Pakistan is also not in keeping with national interest. Our government had resolved earlier, in the wake of 26/11 attacks on Mumbai, of not to re-open dialogue unless Pakistan firmly acts against terrorism. The Pakistan Government refuses, even today, to take action against those responsible for the Mumbai terror attacks. It is making fun of all the evidence shared till date. The terrorists based in Pakistan have, only recently, resolved in an open forum at Muzzafarabad in POK to continue the Jihad against Bharat. Pakistan Government made no effort to stop or check these activities. Considering this, there is ample room to believe that government has taken the decision to restart dialogue with Pakistan only under the influence of some pressure from an external force. If so, it will only be hazardous to national interest.
The unforeseen disturbing developments in Pakistan-Afghanistan region have forced the western powers into nasty process of projecting India as a scapegoat to save their own skin. The Bhartiya Government should be wary of these machinations and be alert to the adverse effects of the Pakistan-Afghanistan struggle on our country.
In the same way alertness is extremely essential on the Northern and North-Eastern sectors where hostile activities by China are constantly on the rise. The inquiry conducted by the Administrative Officer of Laddakh concludes that China is slowly nibbling away at our borders and encroaching into Indian Territory by following the policy of “Not by Meters, but by inches”. Its claim on Arunachal Pradesh stands unchanged and its brazenness and hostility has extended to issuing protests even to the visit of our own Prime Minister to Itanagar. We have to pay special attention to the comprehensive security of our boundaries particularly with China.
Five decades [50 years] have passed since Parampujya Dalai-Lama and lakhs of Tibetians crossed over into India but China refuses to address their problems and demands. It is indeed unfortunate that the Indian Government opts to keep quiet in this regard. It is the responsibility of India, which has treated the lakhs of Tibetians as guests, to hold active dialogue with the Government of China on the problems of these displaced persons and on the issue of autonomy to Tibet.
Increasing Interference of Govt. in Religious Institutions The interference of govt. machinery in our religious institutions is on the increase under the pretext of improving the management. The decision making process of religious institutions is being influenced by govt. agencies which is highly deplorable. This is more conspicuous in respect of the institutions belongs to majority community. The inclusion of govt. representative in the trusts as an ex-officio member, the pretext that donations received are not being made available towards development of parent place etc are reasons that are likely to hurt the sentiments of the faithful. The govt. should stay away from such interference to avoid public outcry and repetition of incidents like that of Guruvayur Temple in Kerala. [Govt. had to rescind the Muslim trustee appointed by it].
Religion based Reservations The Ranganath Mishra commission has advocated inclusion of converted Mulims and Christians in scheduled castes. This is nothing but a mockery of reservations awarded to the scheduled castes. The advocacy is not limited to admissions in educational institutions and priority in jobs but carries with it an added provision for election from reserved constituency too. The makers of our constitution specially provided for reservations to the scheduled castes and tribes in view of their peculiar position in Hindu Samaj and this sentiment has to be respected and protected. The Andhra High Court has already rejected such demand for minority reservation while adjudicating a PIL. An extensive awareness programme has been launched under the aegis of ‘Save Scheduled Castes Forum’. Social activists, MPs, MLAs, writers, doctors, advocates, retired govt. officials, social workers etc are participating in large numbers in the demonstrations being organized by the forum.
National Security Conference: Haridwar. The National Security Conference organized by the ‘Forum for Integrated National Security’ witnessed participation by more than 700 experts. The presence of experts representing Defence Services as well as Administrative Services calls for special mention. The conference conducted on 9th – 10th March 2010 also discussed the recent unfortunate event of Pune [which re-kindled the agony of Mumbai 26/11] apart from major security issues faced by the nation. Many experts presented their research papers. The experts extensively expressed their concern, study conclusions, technical analyses and opinion regarding various security issues and commented on the expected role and path of the government, volunteer organizations, scientists, research & development organizations engaged in defence related work. It is vital that the government take serious note of the recommendations and suggestions brought out by the conference organized by “FINS”.
Grave Situation in Manipur The nation is seriously concerned about the disturbed situation in Manipur. The uncontrolled extremist activities in the region since 1980 have made life insecure for the local population. The central library with invaluable books and manuscripts was burnt down in 2005. Many Hindus were killed in bomb explosions in the temples of Govindji and ISKCON at Imphal. All educational institutions in Hindu areas had to be closed down from July 2009 to January 2010 on orders of extremists causing tremendous hardships to more than 4 lakh students whose future is in danger. The Vaishnav-Hindu population of Manipur is being forced to flee by such persecution. Manipur is the second state after J & K from where the Hindus are running away as refugees in their own country due to total apathy of the government. The economic development is stagnant due to forcible tax collections by the extremists. The security situation has deteriorated to such an extent that there have been explosions even in Rajbhavan and the office of the Chief Minister. The central govt. through the Home Minister has acknowledged the graveness of the situation. We appeal to the state and the central government and to all the institutions that are working for national unity and integrity to take all possible steps to restore the situation to normalcy in Manipur.
Vishwa Mangal Gau Gram Yatra - The rising costs of fuel has not only jeopardized the whole economy but has also instilled a sense of fear and doubt in the mind of common man regarding his livelihood due to the shooting costs of essential commodities. This has given occasion once again to question the single track approach and search for a multi-dimensional long term perspective to overcome this problem. It is now being acknowledged by the world that it is India only that can offer a suitable, comprehensive and universal alternative. In this regard it will be worth while to highlight the “Vishwa Mangal Gau Gram Yatra” that was recently undertaken in our country.
The extraordinarily special program of this year was the “Vishwa Mangal Gau Gram Yatra” launched by prominent Saints of the country. The organizers efforts were mainly aimed at creating extensive general awareness amongst the citizens through wide spread contact programmes in villages, towns and cities all over nation in relation to cow protection, importance of village centric agricultural/farming-sector and its versatile contribution towards achieving pollution free environment and also generate a conscious respectful appreciation about villages and village life.
The complete Yatra, all through, was demonstrative of a positive mass movement. It proved to be a remarkable movement spreading awareness amongst the entire population of the country covering a wide spectrum encompassing town-city dwellers, villagers and tribal as well. It neither blew any trumpets of protest nor appeared as seeking alms from the government with a begging bowl. It was in fact a conscious and dynamic manifestation of the voice of ‘We the People’.
This movement was successful in creating extensive awareness regarding the degeneration of natural resources due to the willful neglect of the cow-village based universal development model and making people realize the pivotal role that the support and safeguarding of cow and village-centric culture offers in achieving world peace and prosperity.
The success of this yatra can be measured by the sheer statistics associated with the Yatra – signatures of 8.34 crore citizens in support of the cause including 75,668 Christians and 10,73,142 Muslims, contact programmes in 23,300 villages, participation by 11,32,117 citizens in various programmes organised at 492 centers, Signatures of 201 MPs and 867 MLAs in support of the cause. The main Yatra was concluded after a period of 108 days and covered all the states during its progression.
Supporting ‘Local Yatras’, touching those places not falling on the main route, were organised in every state and contact programmes conducted at 1,23,796 centers attended by 1,48,46,274 citizens. The yatra covered a distance of 26000 Km. 9271 full time activists and 141035 others, a total of 150306 participants made the yatra successful. This Yatra was launched on 28 September 2009 from Kurukshetra concluded on 17 January 2010 at Nagpur.
The participation and support of people in the Yatra irrespective of their caste, creed, community, religion and social or political beliefs amply brought out the binding spirit of unity and homogeneity of the people. A group of 18 prominent citizens, representing different castes, creeds, communities and religions, met the Hon. President of India Shrimati Pratibha Patil on 31 January 2010 and apprised her of the heartfelt feelings of the people as expressed through their signatures indicating support for the cause. Everyone as also the organizers fully appreciate that the Yatra is just a step in the right direction and much more needs to be done. However, we must acknowledge that more hard work and dedicated efforts are required to be put in, in this direction, for our aims to be fulfilled.
CONCLUDING APPEAL
The ultimate success of our work does not depend solely either on favourable or unfavourable enviorenment or on our method. Determined and committed workers can achieve results in any situation. The environment to-day is fully congenial. But there can not be success without effort and there is no alternative to hard work. The obvious and straight forward way is to continue our ever modest march bearing in our hearts the sacrifice and dedication of the departed souls. That is the purushartha.
At times like this we must remember the words of Swami Vivekanand. He said, “They worship the terrible and love to live dangerously with the fiery energy of youth in their nerves and the radiance of idealism in their eyes. Standing firm and unruffled against the storm of allurements and adversities, they radiate inspiration all round and surge forward triumphantly from success to success till they achieve their chosen goal.”
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