A grand celebration of Hindu new year was organised by the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS) in Bangkok on April 3, 2009. Shri Tarun Vijay, Director, Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation was the chief guest. Shri Chintamani Tripathi, Sanghachalak, HSS, Thailand, and President, VHP, Thailand presided over while Shri Ashok Bajaj, President of the largest Hindu temple Dev Mandir was guest of honour. Several senior leaders of Hindu community and organisations were present on the occasion with a special presence of the cultural secretary from the Indian Embassy Shri Subir Datta.
Shri Tarun Vijay described the significance of the Hindu New Year, which is also celebrated in Thailand as Songkrem (13th April to 15th April). He said Hindus world over are respected for their intelligence, loyalty to the adopted country and peaceful nature.? Hindus don'tbomb the country they adopt, he said amidst the roaring applause.
He appealed to the Hindu organisations to shun their differences and forge a unity. He said Hindus are passing through a most difficult phase in their age old journey when not only they are assaulted geographically but also their soul is bruised and brutalised by the followers of exclusivist ideologies breeding hate and violence. Hindus is the only community in the world which has been assaulted most barbarically just for its faith and colour and a belief in pluralistic principles of universal brotherhood. This South Asian region has become a nightmarish area of attacks on Hindus reducing their geographic presence in an unprecedented manner?from Afghanistan to Dhaka. Hindu presence has been shrinking drastically in this region. Hence it'stime we must forge unity on the basis of Hindu dharma, which alone is the guarantee to safeguard pluralism and respect for the different viewpoints.
Shri Dinesh Mani Dubey, Buddhik Pramukh said that it'sa great day for the Hindus in Thailand as all the major Hindu organisations have come together to celebrate the Hindu new year-so rare for the Indian community abroad. He assured that more such programmes would be organised in future to forge unity and a feeling of togetherness. Shri Umesh Mishra, organizer HSS, Thailand welcomed the guests and said that Hindus must shun their petty differences of language, provincialism and sectarianism so that a unity of purpose is achieved.
Shri Vijay Sharma, a veteran swayamsevak, conducted the proceedings. Leading stalwarts of the Indian community from different sections of Thai society attended the function. Amongst them were Shri Sushil Sarraf, Shri Raj Kumar Mahta, Shri Satish Pahwa, Shri Lalit Kishore, Shri Sushil Dhanuka, President of Hindu Dharma Sabha and Chairman Vishnu Mandir Shri Krishna Datta Upadhyaya, and its secretary Shri Om Prakash Mishra, President of Thailand International Gita Ashram Shri Mahesh Agarwal, Shri Tejasvi Shukla, coordinator of Hindu Buddh Samanvaya, Shri Raj Kumar Dubey, Shri Parmatma Tripathi, Shri Suresh Dube.
(FOC)
