“ALL over the world, the one single most destructive threat to human peace and prosperity is the quest of conversion. The Pope on his visit to Bharat a few years ago had mentioned that after having conquered Europe and Americas in the First and Second Millennium it was Asia that was to be conquered in the Third Millennium. What the Pope meant by Asia? Was it Japan, Korea, Burma, Pakistan, Indonesia or Malaysia? No the target is Bharat obviously. Eighty-five per cent of all conversion-dollars are being spent in Bharat. There is a need for a global security system for the Bharatvanshis. The PIOs are not allowed in the defence forces of all the countries that have even a sizeable PIO population. Bharat has to become strong and powerful and that alone will be a security to the global PIO community. No group or organisation civic or governmental has understood and addressed the problems of the PIOs as best as Sangh,? said Swami Aksharananda of Guyana while delivering the second Lakshmanrao Bhide Memorial Lecture in Mumbai on January 4. The Lecture was jointly organised by Vishwa Adhyayan Kendra, Mumbai, and Keshav Srishti, at Alkesh Mody Auditorium, Kalina Campus.
He recalled some memorable anecdotes from his association with Chamanlalji and Bhideji. Speaking on ?Challenges before Global PIO Community? he cited the recent Malaysia crisis and said that the Hindus there are conducting a vigorous effort for self-preservation and dignity. He also reminded about the severe security threat faced by Hindus of Kenya. He reasoned that though Person of Indian Origin and Bharatvanshi refer to the large population of people whose roots are from Bharat they are Indians no matter how long they have left because Chinese settled world over are called just Chinese. He also thanked the VAK for selecting him for the award but said he considered it was given not for his personal achievements at all but his collective achievements along with others.
Speaking on the occasion RSS Sarkaryavah Shri Mohanrao Bhagwat said the overseas activities of Sangh were not started by some national debate and resolutions but by swayamsevaks who went abroad out of the need they personally felt in organising the Hindu society there. ?Over the last two generations, organisations inspired by Sangh have succeeded in uniting the Hindu society in many countries in different organisational names and kindled in them pride for Hindu culture and given them a sense of proper identity and security,? he said. He recalled the message given by Bhideji at the First Training Camp held for swayamsevaks of Vishwa Vibhag in 1990 at Bangalore. The message was, ?The first phase work is mainly aimed to make overseas Indians know their identity. The second phase is oriented towards organising them and making them known as a cultured and potential society. The thrust of the third phase is to have RSS of various countries that will transform the whole society as per the ancient call of vasudhaiva kutumbakam and krunvanto vishwamaryam for the good of all?.
Shri Bhagwat further said he agreed with Swamiji'spoint that the PIO community of the whole world would feel a sense of pride and security only when the Hindus of Bharat will get organised. The only guarantee for a harmonious and peaceful world lies in the message of rishis of Bharat, vasundhara parivar hamara.
Earlier, Dr Shankarrao Tatwawadi, Vishwa Vibhag convener, introduced the two books that were released by Shri Bhagwat, namely, Moving Spirit behind Global Hindu Cause and Memoirs of a Global Hindu. The former is an English translation of the book on Bhideji released a year ago, the latter memoirs of Shri Jagdish Shastry about the story of Sangh growth and expansion outside Bharat in the last six decades. Later, Dr Satish Modh, president of VAK, briefly detailed the aims and objectives of VAK and explained the idea behind the Bharatvanshi Samaj Bhushan Puraskar, which is being instituted from this year. Shri Mohan Bhagwat later honoured Swami Aksharananda by presenting him a shawl, a coconut, a memento and a cheque of Rs 51000/-.
The lecture commenced with a documentary film on the late Lakshmanrao Bhide portraying vividly his tireless efforts over four decades in uniting the Hindu society spread over various countries and continents. Shri Mukund Chitale, a leading chartered accountant and chairman of Keshav Srishti, presided over the function. In his presidential remarks he said the seed for Ram Ratna Vidya Mandir at Keshav Srishti was sown in the minds of Sangh karyakartas of Mumbai by the late Bhideji and the school has very recently completed 11 years of its successful existence. He remarked that society faces more harm from inaction of good people than action of bad people and hence taking a cue from the life of Lakshmanrao Bhide we need to resolve to channelise the energies of good people to do good work for the society which was precisely what Lakshmanrao Bhide did all his life. Smt. Manjari Gokhale rendered a soul-stirring Hindi song vasundhara parivar hamara. Shri Surendra Sharda of Canada read a message for the occasion sent by Shri Jagdish Shastri.
A resolution on the current crises in Malaysia and Kenya was adopted, which appealed to the respective governments to provide security for life and property of PIOs there at all cost. Shri Sandeep Singh proposed a vote of thanks.
(FOC)
