: P.O.BOX 5728 SRT NAGAR, NEW DELHI 110055 (BHARAT); Email: [email protected] No. Sm1207/2069 (For Private Circulation Only) Ashad Shukla 12 Vik Samvat 2069. Yugabda 5114 Tel: 91-11- 23684445; Fax: 91-11-23517722 1 July 2012 1. FESTIVALS: Ashadh Amavasya or the 'No new Swayamsevaks in the current year, who have Moon Day' of month Ashadh (June 19 as per Uttar acquired sangh training. In 13 districts a total Bharat and July 19 as per Dakshin Bharat number of 29 Prathamik Shiksha Varg (7 day calendar) is a very auspicious day when Deepa training camp) were held, where training has been Puja is performed. On this day, people clean and imparted to as many as 3709 new Swayamsevaks. decorate their houses and sanctify a 'Chourang' i.e. The Seva Vibhag of RSS Dakshin Pranth has a table with decoration and rangoli (kolam) organized 6898 different Seva activities at 2434 designs around it. All the deepas are placed on the places. Jalabharatati, a project dedicated towards table and lit to perform pooja. In Andhra Pradesh, the creation of awareness on water conservation it is known as Chukkal Amavasya (Gauri Puja is has published 2 major books on ‘Rain Water performed) and in Karnataka it is called Bhima Harvesting’ and ‘100 ways of Water Amavasya. Conservation’. In connection with this, special Deepa Puja is dedicated to the deity of one's workshop on water conservation was conducted at choice i.e. Ishta Devata and to Pancha Maha 36 places, where 1950 students, 305 teachers and Bhootas (five primordial elements – Air, Water, 907 farmers participated. Fire, Sky and the Earth). In some cases, devotees 3. RASHTRA SEVIKA SAMITI dedicate Deepa Puja to the Goddess Lakshmi, ORGANISED 35 CAMPS: “There are so many Goddess Parvati or Goddess Saraswati. women at top posts today but it has not benefited On this day, all the diyas are lit once again in the the women. The country should be in the hands of evening and placed around the house just like the sensitive people whether they are men or Diwali Puja. It is believed that the radiations of the women,” Pramilatai Medhe, Pramukha light of the diyas drive out all the evil and bad Sanchalika, Rashtra Sevika Samiti said addressing powers and welcome new brightness into their life. 225 participants seviksa in taining camp of four SANGHA/SAMITI NEWS: BHARAT prants (Kashi, Awadh, Goraksh and Kanpur) in 2. HUGE INCREASE IN THE Kanpur from May 27 to June 14. Rashtra Sevika ORGANIZATIONAL BASE OF RSS - Samiti has organised 35 training camps this year KARNATAKA SOUTH: The overall across the country. About 5,000 activists have organizational base of Rashtriya Swayamsevak been trained in these camps. Sangh, South Unit, Karnataka has been witnessing 4. RASHTROTTHANA BLOOD BANK a steady addition in its numbers. The annual report TOPS: As far as total number of blood collected released recently by RSS says that the figures of and transfused is concerned, Rashtrotthana Rakta January 2011 showed a total number of 2597 Nidhi (Blood Bank) at Chamarajpet - Bangalore is Shakhas in 1698 places under the RSS Karnaaka the number one blood bank of the state of Dakshin Prant ( 13 southern districts of Karnataka Karnataka. Rashtrotthana Parishat is a Rashtriya state); however, the estimate taken in 2012 shows Swayamsevak Sangh initiative for social reforms a remarkable increase in the Shakha number, in Karnataka. taking it to 2715, at 1788 places. Established 18 years ago, Rashtrotthana Rakta Taking into account the Sangha Shiksha Vargs, the Nidhi (Blood Bank) has collected blood from a 20 day long training camps of RSS Cadres, the total of 1, 75,073 blood donors. The collected statistics reveal participation by a total of 1248 blood has been given to 1, 31,593 patients. Rest of 1 the blood was processed for PCV collections, Vigyananand. This is the first Veda Pathasala serum separations etc. The total units of blood outside Bharat. collected till March 2012 is 2, 89,321. CULTURAL NEWS: BHARAT 5. SANT UCHCHADHIKAR SAMITI: Senior 7. RATH YATRA: Annual Rath Yatra Utsav saints of the country have demanded a concrete began at Jagannathpuri on June 21 with the pulling action plan for ensuring free and minimum flow in of the chariots of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and the Ganga. They told the Central government to Subhadra repectively known as Nandighosh, enact a law in the Monsoon Session of the Taladhwaja and Padmadhwaja, by lakhs of Parliament to this effect, failing which, they devotees, including many from abroad. The warned, they would be compelled to launch a chariots reached their destination, Gundicha decisive battle for the Ganga. The saints issued temple on June 22. The festival ends nine days this warning at the Sant Uchchadhikar Samiti later when the deities make their way back home meeting of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad held in to the Jagannath temple. Haridwar from June 19 to 20. About a hundred The Rathyatra was also held in other cities of senior saints from different parts of the country Bharat like Kanpur, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, including Shankaracharya Swami Vasudevananda Ranchi, etc. and also in many parts of the world. Saraswati, Pejawar Swami Vishvesh Teertha, 8. AMARNATH YATRA BEGINS: Jammu and Swami Rambhadracharya, Swami Kashmir Governor NN Vohra was among the first Ramdharacharya, attended the meeting. Shri batch of pilgrims and participated in the “pratham Ashok Singhal, VHP working President Dr Pravin darshan and pooja” to the holy cave shrine of Shri Togadia, general secretary Champat Rai, general Amarnath in the Kashmir which commenced on secretary Shri Dinesh Chandra and others also June 25. The yatra commenced simultaneously attended the meeting. from traditional and longer Pahalgam and shorter SANGHA NEWS: OVERSEAS but treacherous Baltal routes. The pilgrims began 6. SYDNEY VED PATHSHALA: More than their journey from both the Baltal and Nunwan 650 people experienced pleasance when Vedic base camps. The yatra will conclude on Raksha chanting and Sanskrit poems resonated their minds Bandhan on August 2, 2012. as the Sydney Ved Pathshala celebrated its fourth 9. MUSLIM RASHTRIYA MANCH CAMP: anniversary on 17 June. The anniversary “Muslims in Bharat have not come from outside celebrations culminated with brilliant cultural but belong to this country and are an inseparable performances in Vedic chanting, Sanskrit skits and part of the national life of this country like the poems, and depictions of the Hindu epics, Hindus”, observed K S Sudarshan, former Ramayana & Mahabharata. More than 150 Sarsanghchalak of RSS in Pushkar, Ajmer on June children, 90 Youth, and Adult showcased their 26, at the 11th National Training Camp of Muslim talents on the occasion. Rashtriya Manch (MRM). Delving into the Vishwa Hindu Parishad National General historical beginning of Muslim Rashtriya Manch a Secretary Akila Ramarathinam and her team of 55 decade ago the former RSS Chief said that he had voluntary teacher conduct Sanskrit classes in over asked former President of All India Imam Council 55 schools and more than 6,000 children in Maulana Jameel Iliyasi as to why the Muslims Australia, are getting benefit out of this project. considered themselves as ‘minority’ when they Akila Ramarathinam said that VHP is satisfying belonged to this society and country as much as community demand for Vedic chanting, Hindu the Hindus. MRM National Convener Mohd scripture and Sanskrit classes, and is uniting Afzal, co-convener and incharge of the camp Hindus and the Australian community. VHP has Abbas Ali Bohra, Chhattisgarh Waqf Board 150 volunteers working every week and 40 youth Chairman Salim Ashrafi and former national volunteers as one of the biggest volunteer convener of MRM Salavat Khan were present on organization in Australia. Sydney Veda Patasala the dais. The thre-day event was attended by over was started in 2008 under the guidance of Swami 200 activists from 25 states. 2 CULTURAL NEWS: OVERSEAS 13. BHARATIYA-AMERICAN NAMED US 10. CHARIOT FESTIVAL IN ALABAMA: VARSITY VC: Mitra Dutta, a distinguished Rath Yatra was celebrated in Harvest city of US Bharatiya-American engineer-physicist, who has on 24th June in which former ambassador studied at Guwahati and Delhi universities, has Pramathesh Rath, along with Athens Mayor been named vice chancellor for research at the Ronnie Marks and Ravi Nath Sharma, a University of Illinois at Chicago. Dutta, a former philosopher from Bharat were guests of honor. To senior executive with the US Army Research the clamour of gongs, conch shell, trumpets, Office, has served as interim vice chancellor at cymbals, tambourines and ghanti, devotees and one of America's leading research universities visitors helped carry the wooden images of Lord since January, overseeing a research enterprise Jagannath along with his brother and sister deities with annual expenditures of more than $340 from the main temple of the Hindu Cultural Centre million. of North Alabama to the annexe building. Announcing her appointment, Chancellor Paula 11. SWAT BUDDHA GETS FACELIFT: Allen-Meares said: "Her distinguished record as a Thanks to the efforts of Luca Olivieri and his researcher, administrator and teacher make her the partner Italian archaeologists, the 6-meter-tall ideal choice to take on this vital role." image near the town of Jahanabad is getting a 14. HANDICRAFTS IN KUTCH: “Sewa facelift, and many other archaeological treasures International and Sewa Bharati are among the few in the scenic Swat Valley are being excavated and who have continued serving the affected after the preserved. devastating earthquake of 2001 and this is the Hard-line Muslims have a history of targeting indication of their commitment and perseverance”, Buddhist, Hindu and other religious sites they exclaimed Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi consider heretical to Islam. Six months before the while inaugurating the Sewa International Design Sept 11, 2001 attacks, the Taliban shocked the & Development Centre, in Jiapar Village, Kutch, world by dynamiting a pair of 1,500-year-old Gujarat on June 21.