P.O.BOX 5728 SRT NAGAR, NEW DELHI 110055 (BHARAT); Email : [email protected] No. Sm1407/2071 (For Private Circulation Only) Ashadha Shukla 4, Vik Samvat 2071. Yugabda 5116 Tel: 91-11- 23684445; Fax: 91-11-23517722 1 July 2014 1. FESTIVALS: The K ānvar Yatr ā or Kavad 3. HSS HINDU YOUTH CONFERENCE 2014: Yatra is annual pilgrimage of devotees of Shiva, From April 5th-6th 2014, 29 Yuvas from the known as K ānvarias who travel on foot to, NorthEast area gathered at Arsha Vidya Haridwar, Gaumukh and Gangotri in Uttarakhand Gurukulam in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania for a to fetch holy waters of Ganges River, Ganga Jal, two-day Hindu Youth Conference. The goal of which is later offered at their local village Shiva this conference was to provide a platform for temples on the day of Shravan Shivratri or young people between the ages of 18-35 to Amavasya ( July 25 – 26 ) socialize, share ideas, and get more in touch with The Yatra used to be a small affair undertaken by their identity as Hindu Youth. Participants a few saints and old age devotees until the 1990s, included some young working professionals, and when it started gaining popularity. Today, students from various Universities like hundreds of thousands of devotees from Pennsylvania State, Drexel Rutgers etc. surrounding states of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Shakha was conducted in a manner geared towards Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab and reach these places new yuva and each agnya was explained before it to participate in Kanwar Mela. was given. Many activities were planned in the The Yatra is named after the kānvar, a single pole schedule to encourage teamwork, build made of bamboo with two roughly equal loads enthusiasm, and stimulate bonding. Boudhik dangling from opposite ends. It is carried by activities were planned so that they would be more balancing the middle of the pole on the shoulders. interactive rather than lecture based and the topics 2. PRESIDENT OF BHARAT RECEIVES A chosen were useful specifically for Yuvas. The COPY OF ENCYCLOPEDIA OF : varg ended on a high note with a conclusion by The President of Bharat, Shri Pranab Mukherjee Yelloji Mirajkar, highlighting the universal and received a copy of the Encyclopedia of Hinduism all-inclusive principals of Hinduism. at a function at the Rashtrapati Bhavan 4. PM MODI ASKS ISRO TO PLAN FOR Auditorium on 23 rd June. SAARC SATELLITE: Prime Minister Narendra Speaking on the occasion, the President Modi said on 30 th June that Bharat’s space complimented Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji of programme must be made available to developing the Parmarth Niketan, who is the founder nations, and the SAARC countries in particular, chairman of Heritage Research Foundation, minutes after witnessing the successful launch of for undertaking the massive effort of bringing out five foreign satellites on board the Indian Space the Encyclopedia of Hinduism. He said that Hindu Research Organisation’s (ISRO) workhorse PSLV religious philosophy identifies Dharma, Artha, rocket. Kama, and Moksh, as the foremost objectives of a The PM, who was on a two-day visit to space human being. Striking a balance in human facilities at the Space Centre at behaviour in working towards these objectives has Sriharikota, witnessed the successful launch of been prescribed as a key aim of human existence. five foreign satellites on the PSLV-C23 rocket Among the dignitaries present on the occasion from the space centre on Monday. were Shri L.K. Advani, Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, The PSLV-C23 carried a 714-kg French Earth Sushri Uma Bharti, Dr. Karan Singh and various Observation Satellite SPOT-7 as its main payload other religious leaders. with a 14-kg satellite called AISAT of Germany, 1 two 15-kg satellites from Canada CAN-X4 and 7. 7 POOR STUDENTS CLEAR IIT-JEE VIA CAN-X5, and a 7-kg Singapore satellite called ‘TAPAS’: Prashanth, son of a construction worker VELOX-1 as piggyback payload. and Ragahavendra Valmiki, son of a daily wage Modi also asked scientists to extend space earner always dreamed of studying in Bharat’s technologies to map land records in the country on premier technological institutions like the IIT but a regular basis to bring about greater accuracy in their financial background and conditions at home land records which are often riddled with threatened to derail their dreams. Thousands of problems which affect the poor. such bright young minds have such dreams but are 5. BHARATIYA CONCEPT OF NATION forced to hold back due to their financial and ASSIMILATES EVERYONE —DR KRISHNA social status. But today Prashanth, having secured GOPAL: “The concept of nation in Bharat was the 255th rank and Ragahavendra Valmiki getting not born in 1947. It was developed through the the 1007th rank in IIT-JEE have ensured a ages and it assimilates everyone. All from Buddha promising future for themselves. Thanks to to Kabir and Shankar Dev to Chaitanya ‘Tapas‘, a free residential programme initiated by Mahaprabhu kept this concept alive and going. Rashtrotthana Parishat, an organization inspired There is a need to understand that the concept of by the RSS, which has avowed to turn the dreams nation for Bharat is not a political concept rather of the brightest among the underprivileged into spiritual,” said RSS Sahsarkaryavah Dr Krishna reality. Gopal. He was speaking at a seminar organized in As many as 34 students from very poor Delhi on 75th death anniversary of RSS founder backgrounds have completed second Pre- Dr Hedgewar on June 21. Organized by India University (PU) this year from ‘Tapas’. The Policy Foundation, New Delhi, the topic of the students selected for the programme have fared seminar was ‘Dr Hedgewar and Indian well in CET, JEE Main and JEE Advanced too. Nationalism.’ IPF chairman Prof Kapil Kapur, This year, 30 out of 34 students qualified in JEE director Dr Rakesh Sinha and historian Dr Main and were eligible to appear for JEE Saradindu Mukherjee were also present on the Advanced and 7 have qualified in the JEE- occasion. Advanced and become eligible for entry into Dr Rakesh Sinha said the modern historians Indian Institute Technology. especially the Left and Nehruvians have done a “My father is a construction worker and that is the great damage to the history of Bharat. The role of only source of income for my family. Both my RSS in the national movement was completely elder brother and sister are studying too” says ignored and deliberately swept under the carpet. Prashanth. It was due to the encouragement of the Others who spoke include Dr. Sharadindu principal and good coaching by the teachers which Mukherjee and Professor Kapil Kapoor who enabled him to crack the IIT-JEE, he says. He proposed a vote of thanks. wishes to continue his post-graduate studies in IIT 6. SANSKRIT CONFERENCE AT MCGILL: itself. Samskrita Bharati (Canada) participated in the “Reaching the unreached and bringing them to 10th Annual Sanskrit Conference held at McGill main stream is the key objective of Tapas. We are University in Montreal on 30 th May where they humbled to see all 34 students of batch one will launched a unique product – Sanskrit Greeting get into prestigious institutes and come out as Cards with support of Prof. (Dr.) Arvind Sharma. great engineers who will uplift their family and Samskrita Bharati wishes to make Sanskrit popular transform the society they are part of. At Tapas we in daily lives through use of innovative approaches focus on building character along with sharpening like Greeting Cards for special occasions and have their skills for entering IITs,” said Dinesh Hegde, many exciting future projects in the pipe line. General Secretary, Rashtrotthana Parishat. 2

Every year Tapas selects 30-40 most promising Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad president Kajal boys, studying in Class X and offers them free PU Debnath said that Swaraj was given a replica of Education and trains them for the IIT-JEE. Details the temple along with a saree as a gift from the of the program and organization is available at temple authority while Hindu women worshippers http://www.tapasedu.org/ and community leaders welcomed her with 8. STRIKE A POSE AT YOGA EVENT IN flowers. TIMES SQUARE: Thousands of sun- Dhakeshwari means “Goddess of Dhaka” and the worshipping yogis lined their mats up in the temple is known to be the most important Hindu middle of Times Square to celebrate the summer place of worship, earning it the status of solstice on 21 st June. More than 11,000 people Bangladesh’s ‘national temple’. It was built by followed the Athleta sponsored events “Solstice in Sena dynasty king Ballal Sen in the 12th century. Times Square: Athleta Mind over Madness Yoga” 10. DR. MOHAN BHAGWAT ATTENDS as they gradually moved from pose to pose with DEATH CENTENARY OF their bare feet. VASUDEVANAND SARASWATI: RSS “It’s the longest day of the year. In the yoga Sarasanghachalak Dr Mohan Bhagwat addressed a tradition, this is the day you worship the sun,” told gathering on an occasion to mark centenary death Christina Cielusniak, 25, a yoga instructor from anniversary of Maharashtrian spiritual leader Wayne, N.J. The sun is an important aspect of Vasudevanand Saraswati Maharaj at Garudeshwar, yoga. In fact, one of the most familiar stances is on 28 th June. Surya Namaskar, which means “sun salutation” During his speech RSS Sarasanghachalak Mohan and represents a symbolic movement of the human Bhagwat stressed on the need of spreading the reliance on the sun. ‘values of religion’. Noted Spiritual leader and “So it really is this metaphor for the larger Ayurvedic physician from Karla, Balaji Tambe challenges of our lives. How do we stay present, also attended the function along with Bhagwat. “A how do we stay focused with all the distractions,” Hindu is the one who does something Tim Tompkins, president of the Times Square passionately, without seeking anything for self. Alliance, told CBS News. That becomes his puja.” said Balaji Tambe. Tompkins led the first of eight free classes given Shri Vasudevanand Saraswati 1854–1914), also on 21 st . “I am struck at how it actually is possible known as Tembe Swami, is a saint who is in the midst of all this busyness to get yourself into regarded as an incarnation of Lord . a different state of mind,” he said. He was an expert Sanskrit scholar and has The event was held both June 21 and 22 to give as authored around 19 books like Dwisahastri many people as they could the opportunity to Gurucharitra), Datta Puran etc. His Samadhi has participate in the free classes, which were live been built on the river bank at Garudeshwar, streamed on several websites. Gujarat. There is a famous Datta Mandir in the 9. SUSHMA SWARAJ PRAYS FOR B’DESH, same place. BHARAT PROSPERITY AT DHAKA 11. ASTRA AIR-TO-AIR MISSILE TESTED TEMPLE: External Affairs Minister Sushma SUCCESSFULLY FROM SUKHOI-30: Swaraj visited the well-known Dhakeshwari Bharat's indigenous Astra BVR (beyond visual temple in Dhaka on 27 th June saying it had capped range) missile, first home made air-to-air missile, a “successful” visit to Bangladesh. “I prayed for was successfully tested from a Sukhoi-30 fighter prosperity of both India and Bangladesh,” she told aircraft on June 20 th from a naval range off Goa at Hindu community leaders and devotees after over six km altitude. offering the puja at the centuries old temple at the "It was a control and guidance flight which old part of Dhaka as part of her private schedule. successfully demonstrated interception of an 3 electronically simulated target at long range," the For more information about the Congress, visit Defence Research and Development Organisation www.worldhinducongress.org (DRDO) statement said. 13. BHARAT CONTINUES TO PROMOTE The Astra is a single-stage solid-propellant missile CULTURE IN FIJI: The Government of Bharat that is 3.57 m long and 178 mm in diameter, with via its Indian Council for Cultural Relations a 154-kg launch weight and a 15 kg conventional continues to assist people of Fiji with donations of explosive payload. It has active radar terminal musical instruments and educational scholarships. guidance, electronic counter-countermeasures The latest arrival of musical instruments have been (ECCM), and smokeless propulsion. donated in the northern division. The missile has been designed to be capable of “The musical Instruments sent from Indian engaging high-speed targets at short range (up to Council for Cultural Relations were gifted by His 20 km in tail chase mode) and long range (up to 80 Excellency the High Commissioner Shri Vinod km in head-on chase mode). At sea level it has a Kumar on June 7, 2014 in the Northern Division,” range of up to 20 km but could have a range of 44 said Director Indian Cultural Centre in Fiji, km from an altitude of 8,000 m and 80 km if Kishan Lal Kanojia. launched from an altitude of 15,000 m. The Indian Cultural Centre in Fiji was the first 12. WORLD HINDU CONGRESS TO BE ever to be established by the Bharatiya HELD IN DELHI: The inaugural World Hindu government outside the subcontinent and has to Congress will be held in New Delhi later in the date provided thousands of scholarships for year. The November 21-23 conference has been students to study in Bharat over its 41-years of organized by the World Hindu Foundation. existence in Fiji. Leaders and representatives of various Hindu 14. SWAYAMSEVAKS IN RESCUE & organizations, temples and associations are invited RELIEF: A Building having 11 floors was to attend the congress. The number of delegates is collapsed due to heavy rain at Moulivakkam – limited to 1500, of which foreign delegates are Chennai on 28 th June evening. limited to 750. After hearing this sad news, over 50 RSS It is expected that the delegates will be people of Swayamsevaks immediately went the spot. They accomplishment and achievement, committed to engaged themselves in the activities like making working for the Hindu resurgence. paths to Cranes & Other rescue vehicles, helping The theme envisioned is the Hindu principle of in disposal of dead Bodies, safeguarding the Sangachchhadhwam Samvadadhwam, which injured persons, providing drinking water facilities means ''Step together, Express together''. The etc till morning. In this accident, around 40 congress aims to take the movement for Hindu persons were killed and 15 persons were injured solidarity to the next level. and rescued. “This task needs to be undertaken with a single At least four passengers were killed and 23 others minded focus of rebuilding the spiritual and injured 13 of them seriously, when 12 coaches of material heritage of Hindus,” said Swami the Dibrugarh-bound Rajdhani Express derailed Vigyananand of the World Hindu Foundation. near Chapra in Bihar’s Saran district on 25 th June. Under the World Hindu Congress, there will be RSS Swayamsevaks from the local area rushed to several conferences held. These include: The the venue of the railway accident, helped in the Hindu Economic Conference, Hindu Youth rescue operation, helped the passengers who were Conference, Hindu Women Conference, Hindu in a real need of help. Educational Conference, Hindu Organizational 15. SENIOR PRACHARAK DHIR JI PASSED Conference, Hindu Political Conference, and AWAY in the wee hours of June 20 th at Yangon Hindu Media Conference. – Myanmar after a brief illness. Mananeeya Shri 4

Ram Prakash Dhir ji @ Sayaji U Sein Tin was health facilities in the country, Mr. Fayia wants to born in Monywa (Upper Burma) in 1926. After use yoga to help them, as well as ordinary people, graduating from Punjab University in 1947, he overcome their trauma and stress. became a sangh pracharak. 18. HINDU COMMUNITY DEDICATES He visited Burma briefly in 1948 and then again FIRST AREA HOUSE OF WORSHIP IN returned in 1956 at the behest of Dr. Mangal Sen ji DAYTONA BEACH: Wearing saris and carrying for the work of Sanatan Dharm Swayamsevak offerings of flowers and coconuts, women and Sangh (SDSS, then Bharatiya Swayamsevak girls processed from North Beach Street to the Sangh ) which he continued to do till his last Hindu Cultural Association building on Madison breath. Avenue east of Mulberry Street in Daytona Beach Ma Dhir ji is considered to be the doyen of sangh in Florida USA. work in Myanmar as he was instrumental in The procession on June 7 marked the beginning of inspiring countless youngsters to join and work for a weeklong series of rituals that would consecrate sangh, spreading shakha network and other the Hindu Cultural Association building into a activities viz establishing hostels like Seva religious temple or “mandir,” the first Hindu Ashram at Kyauktaga, Preparing and temple for Volusia County, members said. disseminating religious and language education On 9th June, in a nine-hour ceremony from 7 a.m. via Hindu Dharm Shiksha Samiti etc. to 4 p.m., statues were imbued with religious His pioneering efforts in organizing Buddha significance as believers “put the soul to the exhibition which traced the origin and spread of statues,” believing them to be living Bhagwan Buddha and Buddhism were widely representations of deities. appreciated by Bhikkhus, Buddhist scholars and Locally, there are about 250 followers in Volusia general public alike. and Flagler counties. The mandir has a reception 16. LONDON: HSS NEW KARYALAYA hall, an auditorium and other facilities. INAUGURATED: New office - ‘Karyalaya’ of 19. SANJAYA RAJARAM NAMED WINNER Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS) UK, situated at OF 2014 : Bharat -born Edgware, Middlesex HA8 7HF, was inaugurated plant scientist Sanjaya Rajaram has been named on June 21 remembering the legacy and life the winner of the USD 250,000 World Food Prize message of Dr Keshava Baliram Hedgewar which for his breakthrough achievement in increasing was coincidentally the Punya Tithi of the RSS global production by more than 200 million founder. This year, 2014, also happens to be the tonnes following the . 125th year. More than 480 high-yielding wheat varieties bred Dhirajbhai Shah, UK Sanghachalak, spoke on the by Rajaram have been released in 51 countries on occasion and shared his wishes and concerns. six continents and have been widely adopted by 17. YOGA IN SIERRA LEONE: Sierra Leone small- and large-scale farmers alike. “Rajaram’s may not be the kind of place you expect to find work serves as an inspiration to us all to do more, yoga. But thanks to a group called Yoga Stretch, it whether in the private or public sector,” said US is becoming increasingly popular. The Secretary of State John Kerry at an event where he organization is headed by Tamba Fayia, once a delivered the keynote address. child soldier in Sierra Leone's civil war, who in Rajaram followed Nobel Peace Prize Laureate 2012 became the country's first qualified yoga Norman E Borlaug at the International and teacher. He says yoga transformed his life. Wheat Improvement Center, CIMMYT, leading its While Sierra Leone has long been at peace, many Wheat Program from 1976 to 2001. The World still suffer the mental effects of its 11-year civil Food Prize was established in 1986 by Borlaug in war. With just one psychiatrist and poor mental order to focus the world’s attention on hunger and 5 on those whose work has significantly helped 22. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN: Pravas: Shri efforts to end it. Ravikumar sahsamyojak Vishwa Vibhag visited 20. EMERGENCY REVISITED: Akhil Myanmar to take part in shraddhanjali program for Bharatiya Loktantra Senani Parishad had Swargiya Dhir ji. Visitors: Brahmanand , Suresh organised a panel discussion to discuss Giri – Thailand “Emergency in Context of Politics” on completing FOOD FOR THOUGHT: The moment you have 39 years post Emergency in the Constitution Club in your heart this extraordinary thing called love New Delhi on June 26. and feel the depth, the delight, the ecstasy of it, The Panel was held by Dr Subramaniam Swamy, you will discover that for you the world is Former Union Minister with Shri Ram Bahadur transformed. - Jiddu Krishnamurti Rai, Editor-Yathavat; Shri Raj Kumar Bhatia, Former National President-Akhil Bhartiya JAI SHREE RAM Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP); Shri Laxminarayan Bhala, Conserver- Hindustan Samachar and Shri LAW RULES OUT PARTY STATUS OR Rajendra Agarwal, MP-Lok Sabha. PERKS FOR THIS OPPOSITION While speaking on the occasion Dr Subramaniam Subhash C Kashyap Swamy said, “We are thankful to those who fought and were imprisoned during the An uncalled for controversy over the leader of Emergency. I will request the Central Government the opposition (LOP) in the 16th Lok Sabha (LS) to provide them all the special status of being has been created by those with vested interests, revolutionaries and freedom fighters.” and it refuses to die down. 21. SINGAPORE CONSERVES 179-YEAR- The position in regard to recognition of OLD HINDU TEMPLE: A 179-year-old Hindu parliamentary parties and of LOP is crystal clear temple in Singapore, which is among the 75 in parliamentary procedure and practice, as also heritage buildings proposed for conservation, will under the statute law. To make a sitting of the reopen this month after a $5.6 million makeover. House, the LOP and his party requires a minimum The Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple was built as a of 10 % of total membership of the House. This small shrine in 1835 by early Tamil immigrants. requirement of 55 members is based on a deeper The temple in the Little India precinct has principle of parliamentary polity and history going undergone SGD 7 million ($5.6 million) back to British Parliament. renovations and is scheduled for reopening on In the first LS in 1952, the single largest party in June 22, 2014. opposition was the Communist Party (CP) with 30 A dozen craftsmen from Tamil Nadu have been members. It was recognized as a group, not a doing restoration work to the temple's 640 statues parliamentary party. No party had even the and deities, depicting scenes from Hindu required minimum number of 30 for recognition as mythology. The craftsmen have also restored and a group in the second LS. In the third, the largest painted the temple's eight domes and decorative party in opposition was again the CP, this time cement fixtures on its ceilings and facade. with 34 members; the fourth LS, the Swatantra The URA spokesperson said the temple was both Party emerged as the largest party in opposition historically and socially significant. It is one of the with 45 members — one more than the Congress 15 places of worship listed for conservation. The in the present House. Both terms, the parties were temple is popular among Singapore's Tamil recognized only as groups, along with Jan Sangh community and migrant workers from Southern which had 31 members. Bharat who spend their weekend and day off in For the first time, in 1969, after the split in the Little India. Congress Party, Congress (O) with 60 members 6 was recognized as the opposition party and its LOP in the 7th and 8th LS which came after the leader as the LOP. 1977 Act, with the Congress in power. This lasted for about one year only. In the fifth LS If that was not enough, the Leaders and Chief again, no parliamentary groups; in 1977, the sixth Whips of Recognised Parties and Groups in LS, Janata Party with 153 members became the Parliament (Facilities) Act, 1998 clinches the issue ruling party while the Congress sat in opposition. decisively when it refers to a recognized party in Following splits in Congress and Janata Party, LS as a party which has a strength of not less than Congress (I) with 58 members and Janata Party (S) 55 members. It also provides for political parties with 68 members were recognized as in LS having strength of 30-54 members being parliamentary parties. recognized only as parliamentary groups. There were no recognized parliamentary parties in The law gives actual numbers, leaving no onus on opposition in the seventh and eighth LS (1980-89); the Speaker in the matter. The established practice parties with 30 members or more like Janata-S (41 is that the Speaker on his own does not make any members) in 7th LS and Telugu Desam (30 declaration in the matter of recognizing members) in 8th LS were all recognized as groups parliamentary parties or groups. He/she decides only. The 9th to 15th LS, spanning 1989-2014, only when a formal request is made by members parties in opposition and LOP were duly concerned. recognized because the mandate of a party having It is insensitive poppycock for some party a minimum of 55 members was fulfilled. lobbyists to suggest that the Modi government or In as much as a parliamentary system works on Speaker should show large-heartedness and, at the precedents and practices, it should be seen that expense of the public exchequer, extend to right from the first LS in 1952 till now there has someone the salary, allowances and perks against been no occasion when any party with less than 55 the law. If this is done, it is bound to be questioned members has been recognized as a political party in a court of law and declared null and void. and there have been long periods when there has So far as the important role of LOP in the been no LOP. Laws enacted by Parliament in this appointment of NHRC, CVC, CIC, Lokpal etc is regard make the position clearer. The Salaries and concerned, it is for the government to bring in Allowances of Leaders of Opposition in necessary amendments. Parliament Act, 1977 provides for the leader of the The very fact that in the absence of a recognized party in opposition having the greatest numerical LOP, the leader of the single largest group in strength and recognized as such by the opposition has been asked to perform the role Speaker/Chairman being recognized as the LOP. shows the situation has been envisaged. Those advocating grant of LOP status in LS with (The author is former secretary general of Lok salaries, allowances etc of a cabinet minister to the Sabha and president of the Indian National Bar Congress with only 44 members selectively quote Association ) the Act ignoring the requirement of the Speaker's recognition. And, Speaker's recognition cannot be A TRIBUTE TO CULTURAL arbitrary or even discretionary. It has always been RECONSTRUCTION and has to be subject to Direction 121(c) which Anirban Ganguly categorically stipulates the 10% membership condition. It makes no sense to argue that the The so-called intellectual mainstream relegated SP Direction is dated, belongs to (first LS speaker) Mookerjee to an ideological corner and suppressed Mavalankar's times and is not relevant after the his versatility, his national acceptance and his 1977 Act. If that were so, there would have been vision for national progress

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Sixty one years after he was consigned to a how the then Cambodian monarch, Norodom confined and lonely death by free India's first Sihanouk, welcomed Mookerjee and the Relics of democratically elected Government on June 23, Buddha's chief disciples as an “immense ‘Kusala’ 1953, Syama Prasad Mookerjee's dream and vision for our country and people to have henceforth a of creating an alternate political stream and direct bond with Lord Buddha owing to the arrival narrative in India has finally achieved fruition. The of the sacred relics.” In reply Mookerjee spoke of question as to why a personality of his stature and how despite passing through “varying fortunes, dimension, who had nothing but India's supreme good and bad”, the “ancient land of Cambodia and national interest in mind and who strove to many other adjoining countries still bear the establish the democratic experiment in India on a indestructible signs of the heritage that have come firm footing, met with such an end is one of those from our Motherland, Bharat, since time lingering and unexplained episodes in India's immemorial.” history which still await their moment of truth. But his action was not limited to these exchanges Ironically, this unraveling of the truth was alone, one of the legends in the study of Indian art, suppressed simply because the self-professed Stella Kramrisch, in her assessment of Dr. S.P. democrats of that era, belonging to a particular Mookerjee and Indian Art, mentioned how he ideological hue, all Mookerjee's contemporaries worked indefatigably to establish the study of and colleagues in national politics, displayed a Indian history and culture in the University of staunch aversion to unraveling the truth behind his Calcutta and set up one of the earliest museums of death in detention. Indian art and supported some of the best scholars Mookerjee's evaluation in the field of politics has of the epoch to carry out research on India's past. somewhat been done, but even here the so-called As Kramrisch noted, “art mattered to him and he intellectual ‘mainstream’ relegated him to an in turn left his mark not on the history, but on the ideological corner and suppressed his versatility, future of art in India.” The deeper objective of his national acceptance and his encompassing Mookerjee's cultural activism, however, was to vision for national progress. Rarely was there a bring about a larger cultural reconstruction in leader who displayed such dexterity in varied India, as he spelt it out once in one of his fields such as education, culture, politics, presidential addresses to the Asiatic Society, “Let parliamentary affairs and administration. me emphasise that I do not at all minimise the Generations today would perhaps scarcely believe need for a radical reorientation of the economic that in each of these fields Mookerjee attained the and industrial policy of India. A country whose pinnacle and that too in such a short and action educational and economic backwardness is a packed life. standing disgrace to human civilisation has got to Leaving his politics aside here, it is indeed be placed on her feet again and its people must get fascinating to see the civilisational vision that fullest advantage of its inexhaustible raw Mookerjee exuded. As president of the Mahabodhi materials. But let me state at the same time that Society of India, he had long anticipated the need neither can India attain her full strength and glory to revive India's civilisational ties in her nor can she contribute worthily to the cause of neighbourhood. Long before the ‘Look East stabilising human civilisation, if we ignore the Policy’ had been conceived, Mookerjee looked to need for a proper cultural reconstruction in India.” South-East Asia and as the carrier of Buddha's The eventual working out of that ‘cultural message sought to bind the region in a civilisation reconstruction in India’ would perhaps be another knot with its mother country, India. In his lasting tribute to Mookerjee and to his fascinating reminiscence, Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee in life and legacy. Indo-China, JM Majumdar, for example, describes (Daily Pioneer, 23 June 2014) 8