Universal Oneness Day by Vishwa Adhyayan Kendra in Mumbai
“It is time for the Indians to rise from their slumber and take control of their own destiny and make Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam a living reality seemed to rhyme with Swami Vivekanand’s appeal to the motherland Jago Bharat, Vishwa Jagao – i.e. wake up India, awaken the world. Only awakened citizenry can ensure good governance and consequent trajectory of progress and empowerment,” said noted thought leader Shri Sundeep Waslekar.
He was delivering a keynote speech at Universal Oneness Day organised jointly by the Vishva Adhyayan Kendra (VAK) and Maharashtra Educational Trust (MET) in Mumbai on August 30. The topic for the speech was ‘making Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam a living reality’. Other dignitaries who shared the dais on the occasion were Shri Matan Zameer, Deputy Chief of Mission at Consulate General of Israel in Mumbai, Shri Pankaj Bhujbal, honorary secretary MET and Shri Satish Agarwal CMD Kissan Group of Industries.
Shri Waslekar insisted that the ideals of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam can be realised only through continued constructive international collaboration and cross fertilisation of knowledge and ideas. This cross fertilisation is taking place in our times as well. He reinforced his views by citing several international projects of scientific experiments, which have significant Indian participation. He observed that many of these experiments might result into new principles and laws of science which in turn will influence direction of our journey into future for next few thousand years.
He went on with his recipe for making Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam a living reality by saying that Indian society and organised private sector must pay immediate attention to the total absence of research culture in our country. He argued that a well trenched research culture is a precondition to prosperity and alleviation of maladies of human beings. He wondered why our entrepreneurs and industrial leaders are unable to see the obvious relationship between scientific research and prosperity. He quoted examples from Israel and China to further elaborate how research activities are helping those countries to generate wealth and improve the quality of life.
Shri Matan Zameer recalled the plight of Jews as they were persecuted practically all over the world with India being exceptionally empathetic to Jews for nearly 2000 years ordeal till their own homeland Israel came into being. Earlier, VAK president Shri Sanjay Kelapure unfolded the VAK road map for next five years. Shri Vijay Page, director general of MET proposed vote of thanks.
All atrocities by Uttar Pradesh SP Government failed
The 84 Kosi Parikrama Yatra of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) concluded as per the schedule on September 13 at Makhora Village, about 40 km from Ayodhya, from where it had began on August 25. As usual the administration’s atrocities continued and 40 saints were arrested from Makhora. However some saints performed the havan there. Earlier on September 12 Dr Ram Vilas Vedanti was arrested from a house in Makhora. Later a havan was also performed at Karsevakpuram in Ayodhya on September 13.
Though the Uttar Pradesh government adopted all means to prevent the Rambhaktas and the saints joining the Yatra and created barricades on the Parikrama route as well as arrested the devotees, the administration failed to curb the zeal and devotion of the Rambhaktas. During the entire Yatra more than 3,700 saints, who joined the Yatra from different parts of the country, were arrested at different places. Majority of them were arrested while entering Uttar Pradesh, but a few somehow successfully joined the Yatra and were arrested while conducting the Yatra itself.
The Parikrama Yatra began on August 25 despite the Uttar Pradesh government turning Ayodhya into a cantonment and ensuring that the Rambhaktas do not enter Ayodhya for Parikrama Yatra. Though, the administration claimed that it did not allow the inauguration of the Yatra, the saints and senior VHP leaders started the Yatra by taking a bath in the Saryu River and performing a yajna at Makhora. Then the Yatra proceeded as per the schedule, though not through the scheduled route but through the old route passing through villages. “The question is to conduct the Yatra and it does not matter whether it is conducted through the new route or the old route. The saints and the Rambhaktas joined it without caring for the atrocities that the administration could perpetuate on them,” said VHP secretary general (organisation) Shri Dinesh Chandra in Delhi.
News in Brief
Widening the communications of RSS related updates, two new websites of Vishwa Samvad Kendra Kerala and Tamil Nadu were launched recently. The website of VSK Tamil Nadu (www.vsktamilnadu.org) was launched by former RSS Sewa Pramukh Shri K Suryanarayan Rao in Chennai September 10. The website of VSK Kerala (www.vskkerala.com) was launched recently.
Veteran educationist and national convener of Shiksha Bachao Andolan Samiti Shri Dina Nath Batra was felicitated on Teachers’ Day, September 5, in Panchkula. The felicitation function was organised by the Forum of Senior Citizens of Education, a platform of educationists. Director Education of Haryana Shri SS Kaushal, Smt Upinder Ahluwalia, Mayor of Panchkula, Shri KL Zakir, honourary deputy chairman, Haryana Urdu Academy and many other prominent personalities were also present on the occasion. The award consists of a shawl and citation.
Born in 1930 in Pakistan, Shri Batra is today devoted to detoxification of education, especially the school and college textbooks. He has successfully fought many legal battles against the NCERT, Delhi University, etc. regarding education. He started his educational career as Principal in 1955. His leadership qualities enabled him to work in many responsible positions. He was general secretary of many State and national bodies like Haryana Teachers Association of Vidya Bharati. Shri Batra was also associated with curricular planning of the Haryana Board of School Education and Delhi Education Board. At the national level also he has been associated with many bodies in the Ministry of HRD. He was also in the Executive Committee of NCERT. Shri Batra has written many books.
A Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) in Faizabad had to face the wrath of UP’s SP State Government when he was shunted out for releasing detained VHP activists on August 25. State government shunted out Ram Sahay Yadav, who was posted as SDM Sadar in the district, for not taking senior officers in confidence and releasing 15 VHP activists on August 25, the first day of the 84 Kosi Parikrama Yatra. The detained VHP activists were arrested allegedly for violating prohibitory orders and disturbing communal harmony and peace in the city on the opening day of the 84 Kosi Parikarma Yatra. District police had produced 15 VHP activists who were charged of violating prohibitory orders, before the SDM with a plea for judicial custody, but Shri Yadav turned down the plea and released them.
Noted Samskrit scholar and Samsktit Bharati’s Akhil Bharatiya Prashikshana Pramukh Dr HR Vishwas has been selected for reputed Kendra Sahitya Academy’s ‘Bala Sahitya Puraskar’ award for the year 2013. The award will be presented at a programme to be organised at Panaji, Goa, on November 15. The award consists of a cash prize of Rs 50,000.
It is second time when Dr Vishwas is being felicitated. In 2010 he was awarded the reputed Kendra Sahitya Academy Award for Translation. He received the award for translating well known litterateur Dr SL Bhairappa’s most debated Kannada novel Avarana into Sanskrit. Dr Vishwas is considered to be one amongst top contemporary analyst of Samskrit literature in India. He has travelled to many states and abroad mainly for the better canvas of Sanskrit literature.
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