400 functions for 400th year of Guru Granth Sahib FOC The Rashtriya Sikh Sangat has decided to organise 400 functions in different parts of the country to celebrate the 400th year of Shri Guru Granth Sahib. According to Shri Avinash Jaiswal, general secretary of Rashtriya Sikh Sangat, the functions will be organised in state capitals, districts and tehsils. In this series, a function was organised in Aizwal, the capital of Mizoram, on December 12, 2004 in which state Governor, Shri Amolak Ratan Kohli, was present. A similar function was organised in Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand, on December 26, 2004 in which the state Chief Minister Shri Arjun Munda, and founder of the Sangat, Sardar Chiranjiv Singh, were present. Another function was held in Raipur, the capital of Chhattisgarh, in which state Chief Minister, Dr Raman Singh, was the chief guest. A function was also organised in New Delhi on November 27, 2004 at the residence of BJP president, Shri L.K. Advani. Shri Jaiswal pointed out that about 450 units of the Sikh Sangat were active in 18 states of the country and efforts were afoot to raise the number to 1,100 by the end of year 2005. (FOC) | 167 Gond families return to Hindu fold FOC Despite much hue and cry and demonstrations on the part of the Church activists, 512 people belonging to 167 families of eight villages in the Mandala district of Madhya Pradesh returned to the Hindu fold at a function held at Chhata village of Ghughari block recently. Those who returned back to their rootes had embaraced Christianity due to adverse circumstances. On being repeatedly humiliated by the Church activists, more than 200 Gond Vanvasis approached the Vanvasi Vikas Parishad and Arya Samaj, Jabalpur, a few months ago with the request to return to their forefathers? roots. Following their request, the Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram and Arya Samaj organised a function on January 24 at Chhata village. Hearing this news some Church activists staged demonstrations and blocked the roads leading to Chhata village, but the people participated in the yajna, performed on their homecoming. A new convert, Janu Kunjam, who reached the venue at the last moment said that he, along with his wife and daughter, had been kept locked in the Ghoreghat Church School and were threatened with death if dared to leave Christianity. Acharya Dharmendra Shastri and Swami Aishwranand Maharaj of Coimbatore Arsh Ashram welcomed them to Hinduism. Shri Bhuvaneshwar Pachauri, chairman, Vanswar, Parmanand Jha and Shri Maniram Pal of Kalyan Ashram washed their feet to welcome them. (FOC) |
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