Reports :Celebrating 40 years of Hindu Sevika Samiti, UK
Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh and Hindu Sevika Samiti, UK, jointly organised nine-day annual residential youth leadership training camp at Lutterworth, Leicestershine. A total of 170 HSS activists and 104 Sevika Samiti workers attended the camp.
Addressing the concluding ceremony on August 2, Dame Asha Khemka, Principal and CEO of West Nottinghamshire College Group, which teaches 34,000 students, praised the youth leadership training and character building activities of Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh. “You are the best. This is my first interaction with the HSS activities and I am truly amazed. Young people learning the benefits not only of physical and mental education but also learning as individuals and as part of a team,” she said adding that HSS is a unique organisation, which works for benefit of the community in a disciplined manner.
The camp participants came from 28 towns in UK and represented 10 states of India and one from Pakistan, Mauritius and Ireland, which shows the diverse reach the HSS has across the community. The course was an educational arena, which nurtured complete character development through the practice of physical and intellectual activities.
Each morning the participants arose at 6 am and began their day with prayers and physical activities such as Yoga to calm the mind and wake up the body. Later, during the day participants engaged in intellectual activities in the form of discussions, role-plays, and lectures, designed to increase their knowledge and understanding of Hinduism. The participants also chose one physical and one intellectual subject to master over the nine days in focused workshops, which, developed self-control, confidence and knowledge among participants to aid them in becoming better leaders. The day ended with a special night time activity in the form of team building exercises, role-plays or a singing competition.
The training course was run by 37 full time instructors who facilitated all the physical and intellectual training. There were 50+ fulltime and part-time volunteers who took charge of all behind the scene logistics to make sure the facilities were kept clean, food was cooked and site was secure. The participants showcased their talents at the concluding ceremony on last day of the camp. The camp concluded by an inspiring and motivational message from a Sevika Madhvi Haria highlighting the Shakha as a Sanskar Kendra, where individuals are developed to serve the society.
Dr Nand Kishore Khosla, a veteran swayamsevak and popular as the ‘poor man’s doctor’, passed away in Delhi on August 6 after a brief struggle with cancer. Born in Lahore, he was known for his dare-devil rescue missions of Hindus during the Partition. A topper and gold medalist from King George Medical College, Lahore he devoted the first five years of his professional life as RSS Pracharak in the aftermath of Partition. He founded Delhi chapter of Swami Vivekananda Medical Mission, a charitable organisation committed to providing free-medical care to the poor in slum clusters of Delhi. His selfless devotion to the cause motivated a number of philanthropists, doctors and ordinary persons to donate their time, money and resources to this worthy cause enriching it with five free dispensaries reaching out to thousands daily, besides giving specialised treatment for tuberculosis and conducting eye-camps every year for three decades. This legacy he left behind is ably carried forward by committed swayamsevaks of Delhi. |
