: P.O.BOX 5728 SRT NAGAR, NEW DELHI 110055 (BHARAT); Email : [email protected] No. Sm1320/2070 (For Private Circulation Only) Magh Shukla 2 Vik Samvat 2070. Yugabda 5115 Tel: 91-11- 23684445; Fax: 91-11-23517722 1 February 2014. 1. FESTIVALS: Mahashivratri, the 13th making promises to the electorate that they cannot night/14th day of Krishna Paksh of Phalgun falling honour. He said, with telling effect, “Elections do on 27th March this year, marks the marriage of not give any person the licence to flirt with Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. It is believed that illusions”. Since he was addressing the nation — on this night Lord Shiva performed Tandava dance in effect, the people of the country — Mr that led to the creation, conservation and Mukherjee's words must not be lost on the devastation of the universe. Devotees visit Shiva citizens. They should hold their representatives temples in the morning and pour water mixed with accountable and rap them on the knuckle when the milk on the lingam of Lord Shiva. Holy mantras latter begin selling illusions. At the same time, the are recited and special puja is performed people are justified in their anger when the throughout the night. political class fails to deliver on the assurances it Mahashivratri is not only a magnificent festival in has offered to gain the votes. It is to this Bharat but also in Nepal and many other countries. outpouring of dissent that the President referred to 2. WORDS OF A PRESIDENT - Pranab when he remarked, “False promises lead to Mukherjee has raised valid concerns: President disillusionment, which gives birth to rage, and that Pranab Mukherjee's observation during his rage has one legitimate target: Those in power”. Republic Day eve speech that “anarchy” cannot Here, the President is completely bipartisan, and “substitute governance”, may have raised the Aam he in fact acknowledges that the Anna Hazare-led Aadmi Party's hackles. But the party and its well- anti-corruption movement of 2011 was the result wishers must take the comment in their stride and of failed assurances by the ruling class to tackle reflect on its wisdom, rather than adopt a corruption. Naturally, political parties have been combative posture. It is obvious that Mr interpreting the President's speech depending on Mukherjee had Delhi Chief Minister Arvind whom they wish to target. While the Congress and Kejriwal's recent dharna in mind, but it would be the Bharatiya Janata Party are happy over Mr wrong to read into the statement any offence Mukherjee's disguised jibe at the Aam Aadmi directed at either Mr Kejriwal or his party. As Party, Mr Kejriwal appears to be elated that there head of state and having spent decades in is now a “debate” on whether a Chief Minister governance holding senior positions at the Centre, should sit on a dharna. It is typical of the Delhi Mr Mukherjee can only have the good of the Chief Minister to reduce the President's sagacious country at heart, and he has through the speech advice to an observation about his pet method of shared his views with the people. The observation resolving issues. He needs to grow up. – Editorial, is meant equally for all those political leaders who The Pioneer, 28 January 2014. believe that empty populism can propel them to 3. BRAVERY AWARDS TO 25 CHILDREN: power, even if such populist conduct militates Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on January 24 against established democratic systems and presented the National Bravery Awards to 25 processes and strikes at the very interests of children ahead of the Republic Day, saying that society and the country at large. It is this the children were the “nation’s pride” and their displeasure with populist tendencies that the courageous acts an “inspiration” to all. Paying his President elaborated upon when he advised the tributes to the five brave children who lost their representatives of the people to refrain from lives while trying to save others last year, the 1

Prime Minister said: “Mausmi Kashyap and Aryan Hegade received National Award for Best NCC Raj Shukla from Uttar Pradesh, M Khayingthei Cadet from Prime Minsiter Dr Manmohan Singh from Manipur, Malsawmtluangi from Mizoram in New Delhi on January 28. Soumya Hegade is and L Manio Chachei from Nagaland are not the daughter of RSS Karnataka Dakshin Pranth among us today, but the sacrifice of these brave Saha Vyavastha Pramukh Ganapati Hegade. children will always inspire the country.” Mother Bhageerathi Hegade and sister Sindhu “The youngest among you is seven-year-old Hegade encouraged Soumya’s skills and interest Tanvi, who saved her four-year-old sister from in NCC. RSS Sahasarakaryavah Dattatreya drowning. Helping others at such a tender age is Hosabale, Akhil Bharateeya Bouddhik Pramukh not an ordinary thing,” he said. Manmohan Singh Bhagayya, RSS Karnataka Dakshin Pranth also mentioned the brave deeds done by other Karyavah N Tippeswamy and several other senior children like Shilpa Sharma from Himachal functionaries congratulated Soumya on receiving Pradesh who saved a child from a leopard; the award. Shubham Santosh Chaudhari from Maharashtra 7. THREE AUSTRALIANS OF BHARATIYA who saved two girls from a fire; and Malieka ORIGIN GET AUSTRALIA DAY HONOURS: Singh Tak who took on four men alone. Three Australians of Bharatiya origin have The awardees received a medal, certificate and received one of the Australian Government's most cash. They will also receive financial assistance prestigious honours in recognition of their until they complete their schooling. exceptional contribution to Australian society. 4. RSS CELEBRATES REPUBLIC DAY; Australian High Commissioner Patrick Suckling Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh celebrated 65th congratulated the three recipients of the Australia Republic Day with hoisting national flags at Day Honours, which were announced on January various places. Sarasanghachalak Mohan Bhagwat 26, the national day of Australia. Dr Sadanandan Ji hoisted National Flag and offered salutes at Nambiar, Radhey Shyam Gupta and Dr Pratish Tejpur of Assam in a simple ceremony. Chandra Bandopadhayay have all been awarded a Sarkaryavaha Bhaiyyaji Joshi attended Republic place in this year's Australia Day (26 January) Day celebrtaions at Pune of Maharashtra, hoisted honours list. Mr Suckling said their achievements national flag and offered salutes. Sahsarakaryavah were recognition of the extraordinary contribution Dattatreya Hosabale hoisted National Flag at the Bharatiya community had made to Australian Mumbai, addressed a small gathering and society. conveyed his wishes and concerns on Republic Dr Sadanandan Nambiar, a forest scientist, who Day. Akhil Bharatiya Prachar Pramukh Dr works with the Commonwealth Scientific and Manmohan Vaidya hoisted flag at Gaziabad, UP. Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), has 5. TIBETANS CELEBRATE 65TH been awarded the Officer of Order of Australia REPUBLIC DAY OF BHARAT: The Central (AO), Australia's second highest award, for Tibetan Administration celebrated the 65th distinguished service to science. Radhey Shyam Republic Day of Bharat at its headquarters at Gupta, from Templestowe, Victoria, received the Ghankyi Kyishong led by the caretaker PM Pema Medal (OAM) of the Order of Australia for Chinjor. Chinjor, the minister for religion and services to the arts through classical Bharatiya culture, unfurled the tricolor Bharatiya national music. Dr Bandopadhayay received an OAM for flag in front of the Kashag Secretariat followed by community service to the Australian Bengali and the Bharatiya national anthem recital. Nepali communities. 6. SOMYA HEGADE SANGH FAMILY 8. TEMPLE RELOCATED USING MODERN DAUGHTER RECEIVES NATIONAL TECHNOLOGY: Residents of Ayyanur, about AWARD FROM PRIME MINISTER: Soumya three miles west of Ambur, Tamilnadu thought of 2 a novel but hi-tech idea of retaining a small 300- devoted himself for the motherland. More than year-old Amman temple when the National 300 swyamsevaks participated in the Path- Highways Authority of India (NHAI) decided to sanchalan. demolish it to facilitate the widening of the four- 11. NARENDRA MODI A PERSON OF lane Chennai-Bangalore National Highway into a GREAT PROMINENCE: The European Union six-lane highway. on January 24 termed Narendra Modi as a "person R. Moorthy, president of the renovation committee of great prominence" on Bharat political landscape of the temple said that he got the idea of relocating and said it respects the judicial verdict that has the temple by seeing such structural relocations of given clean chit to the Gujarat chief minister for buildings done in the U.S. on National Geographic 2002 riots, on which there were "enormous" channel. They hired a Haryana-based company concerns around the world. EU Ambassador to which was professionally undertaking structural Bharat Joao Cravinho said the views of the 28- relocations. They fixed a steel framework under member bloc on the Gujarat riots have been based the temple and with the use of jacks, moved it at on Bharata's judicial and political process and it the rate of 8 feet a day to its new location. As part engages with Modi like with any other leader. of the process, they also rotated it to face east. "He is a person of great prominence in the 9. FIRST PREPARE YOURSELF FOR political scene. So, of course, we are interested in NATION’S CAUSE THEN TELL OTHERS – knowing his views, seeing what plans he has if he MOHAN BHAGWAT: “Prepare yourself for comes to power," Cravinho said. nation’s cause and then tell others to do it. It is our 12. ‘BHARATIYA WOMEN CAN GUIDE responsibility to reshape the nation’s destiny and THE WORLD AT CROSSROADS’: Coinciding without uniting the Hindu society the nation with the 151st birth anniversary of Swami cannot make progress”, said RSS Sarsanghchalak Vivekananda a woman’s convention ‘Bharatiya Shri Mohan Bhagwat while addressing a gathering women as the guide for the world at crossroads’ of swyamsevaks at the Maharaj Udaya Singh was organized at Chennai on January 23. Statiudm in Kota, Rajasthan on January 19. Shri Thousands of women attended the convention. Dr. Bhagwat said Bharat cannot make progress until V Shanta, Chairman of Cancer Institute (WIA), the countrymen start thinking and acting purely for recipient of many awards gave the welcome national interest and keeping the self-interests in a address, in which she gave a clarion call to women corner. He appealed to the swyamsevaks to follow in Bharat—in the words of Swami Vivekananda examples to be emulated through their daily “Awake, Arise, Stop not till the goal is reached”. conduct. Kshetra Sanghchalak Purushottam This was a call to women to be part of what is Paranjape, Prant Sangh Chalak Bhagawati Prasad, happening around them, to bring back values and Vibhag Sanghchalak Prabhash Chandra and many principles in life and for women to understand and other senior RSS functionaries were also present appreciate their respective roles and on the occasion. responsibilities. 10. RSS REMEMBERS NETAJI SUBHASH Dr Padma Subramanyam Chairperson, Organizing CHANDRA BOSE ON HIS 117TH JAYANTI: Committee of Swami Vivekananda 150 Women’s Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh celebrated 117th Initiative, gave a short brief on the origin of this Jayanti of freedom fighter Netaji Subhash Chandra convention. She cited various contributions of Bose by organising a traditional Route March women in Vedic times namely Gargi, Avvaiyar (Patha Sanchalan) with Ghosh (Band) in Siliguri (Sangam period), Karaikkal Ammaiyar (Saiva on January 23 afternoon for an hour. During the Nayanmars), Brahmavadini, Andal Pathasanchalan, R S S swayamsevaks paid their (Srivilliputhur), Queen Akka Mahadevi heart-warming tributes to the national hero who (Karnataka), Meera (Rajasthan), Rani Padmini 3

(Chittor), Velu Nachiyar, Jhansi Rani and gave an January 19. After doing PhD from the Kurukshetra outlook on how women are held in high esteem in University Mittal started teaching in the same religious, spiritual and temporal traditions. university and is now Rashtriya Adhyaksh of the Speaking about his mother who raised his stature, Akhil Bharatiya Itihaas Sankalan Yojna. He the factory of Dharma, S. Gurumurthy said that specialises on Bharatiya national movement and is Bharatiya economy was essentially family based a renowned historian. The Puraskar is presented to and woman-centric, which is in contrast to the those historians who have contributed in the rights-based and duty based approach of the West. propagation of glorious Bharatiya history. The convention concluded with an oath to resolve Speaking on the occasion RSS Sahsarkaryavah the views of Swami Vivekananda on women and Suresh Soni said Baba Saheb Apte focused on two to become a contributor and exporter of Bharatiya topics—Sanskrit and History. He wanted that thoughts to the world. Sanskrit should become the language of the 13. BHARAT TEST FIRES NUKE AGNI-IV masses. He said if the history is distorted the MISSILE: Bharat on January 20 successfully test- future would also be distorted. Now since our fired its nuclear-capable strategic missile Agni-IV, history has been distorted we shall have to put our with a strike range of about 4,000 km, from a test efforts to bring the real history into limelight. range off the Odisha coast. “The test firing was a 16. FREE TEMPLES FROM STATE total success. The missile travelled its full range,” CONTROL: The Supreme Court delivered a M V K V Prasad, the director of Integrated Test landmark judgment on January 6, 2013, allowing Range, said. “It is equipped with modern and the former Union Minister Dr Subramanian compact avionics to provide high level of Swamy’s Special Leave Petition that sought the reliability,” a DRDO official said. quashing of the Tamil Nadu Government's G.O. of 14. LITERALLY FROM KASHMIR TO 2006 which had mandated the government KANYAKUMARI: Samskrita Bharati, an all takeover of the hallowed Sri Sabhanayagar Bharat movement to pupularise spoken Temple (popularly known as the Nataraja temple). Samskritam, literally spreads Sanskrit from The Madras High Court Single Judge and Division Kashmir to Kanyakumari. Last year, shikshaks of Bench had in 2009 upheld the constitutionality of ten-day spoken Samskrita Shibiram from all states the G.O. by a tortuous and convoluted logic that converged in Jammu and conducted camps at 300 new laws can overturn past court judgments that places in Jammu region. This year, Kanyakumari had attained finality earlier. In 2014, in Dr. district witnessed 131 camps in which over 3,600 Swamy’s SLP, the Supreme Court Bench of persons learnt how to speak in Sanskrit. 80 Justices B.S. Chauhan and S.A. Bobde termed this shikshaks and shikshikas from all the four re-opening of the matter as "judicial indiscipline" southern states converged in the district. The and set aside the 2009 Madras High Court camps were conducted in the premises of schools judgment as null and void on the principle of Res and colleges and also under street light in some Judicata. places. The common closing fuction of all the 17. MUKTESWAR DANCE FESTIVAL: The camps was held in Kanyakumari on January 12, Mukteswar Dance Festival was held in 2014 coninciding with the 150 th birth anniversary Bhubaneswar January 14-16 in a specially of Swami Vivekananda. constructed open air auditorium with the backdrop 15. PROF SC MITTAL FELICITATED of the 10th century Odishan architectural marvel. WITH DR VAKANKAR PURASKAR: Noted With the winter chill, the mystic ambience and historian Prof Satish Chandra Mittal was honoured surrounding small temples created a visual treat. with the 16th Dr Vishnu Vakankar Puraskar by the The festival featured talented dancers from all Baba Saheb Apte Smarak Samiti in Delhi on over Bharat. 4

18. CENTENARY OF SARDAR VALLABH both his hands but that did not stop him for BHAI PATEL’s CALL TO THE BAR-AT- helping others. Padma also saved the life of fellow LAW: The Indo British Cultural Exchange and porter Nima Norboo. Both are employed at the British Sikh Association in partnership with Siachin — an assignment which is challenging and the Sardar Patel Memorial Society UK, National fraught with danger. On 5 December 2012, while Congress of Gujarati Organisations UK and operating a trolley, Narboo fell into a 200 feet Society of Asian Lawyers held a historic event to deep crevasse. The only way to save him was for mark the centenary of Bharat Ratna Sardar someone to lower himself down into the Vallabhbhai Patel’s call to the Bar-at-Law on 27th treacherous crevasse and physically extricate January 2014 at the Middle Temple, London. A Narboo. Undaunted by the grave danger, Padma plaque was unveiled by the Chief Guest, the Rt. volunteered for this task and after a gruelling Hon. Dominic Grieve QC, MP; the Attorney effort which extended for about 20 hours, was able General for England and Wales, Advocate General to extricate Norboo from the jaws of certain death. for Northern Ireland. Dr. Rami Ranger MBE, 20. NRI SCIENTIST AJ PAULRAJ WINS FRSA, Chairman of the British Sikh Association TECH ‘NOBEL’: A Bharat-born engineer- welcomed the guests by sharing the message of the scientist whose work in the US is at the heart of British Prime minister, the Rt. Hon. David the current high speed WiFi and 4G mobile Cameron MP lauding Sardar Patel’s contribution systems, has been awarded the 2014 Marconi to modern Bharat as a barrister and statesman”. Prize, a Nobel equivalent for technology pioneers. The Rt. Hon. Dominic Grieve QC, MP then Coimbatore-native and Stanford University unveiled the commemorative plaque to an Professor Emeritus Arogyaswami Joseph Paulraj, audience that had been waiting in anticipation. simply known as ''Paul'' to his legion of friends Presiding over the function, H.E. Mr Ranjan and admirers, has been recognized for his work in Mathai – Bharatiya High Commisioner to UK inventing and advancing MIMO (Multiple Input spoke of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel as being a man Multiple Output) technology, a key enabler of of self-discipline, with clarity of mind and wireless broadband services that has determination. Over 150 prominent members of revolutionized high speed delivery of multimedia society attended the Unveiling Ceremony. across the world. The Marconi Prize, whose 19. LADAKH CIVILIANS GET BRAVERY previous winners include worldwide web pioneer AWARD FROM ARMY: For the first time, three Tim Berners-Lee, Internet legend Vint Cerf, civilians from Ladakh region, including a porter in Google search maestro Larry Page, and cell phone Siachin who saved two soldiers buried in an inventor Martin Cooper, comes with a $100,000 avalanche, have been honoured by Army with prize. ''Paul has made profound contributions to special award for their exemplary courage and wireless technology, and the resulting benefit to devotion to duty. Lt. Gen. Sanjeev Chachra Army mankind is indisputable. Every wifi router and 4G Commander of Northern Command, gave away phone today uses MIMO technology pioneered by the awards to Stanzin Padma, Jigmet Urgain and him,'' said Professor Sir David Payne, Chairman of Nima Norboo on January 14, the eve of Army Day the Marconi Society and Director of the at Udhampur, Jammu. Optoelectronics Research Centre at the University Padma was honoured for digging out alive two of Southampton. army soldiers who were buried under snow due to 21. BHARAT-ORIGIN PROF. RAKESH an avalanche on May 28 last year while risking his KHURANA TO HEAD HARVARD: Rakesh own life. Jigmet Urgain’s career in the army was Khurana, who is currently a Professor of cut short by an unfortunate mine accident during Leadership Development at Harvard Business training in which he lost his eyesight as well as School (HBS) and professor of sociology in the 5

Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS), will be the Sangam of Taiwan, Dr. Yu Hsi is the first foreign new Dean starting July of the Harvard College, scholar to receive this award. The award carries a established in 1636. A Harvard insider who has gold medal, a check for US$1,625 and a citation. studied, taught, and administered in the famed Dr. Yu Hsi was born in Taiwan on March 16, school, Khurana will be the third dean of 1951 and is a Doctor of Letters. He has authored Bharatiya origin in the Harvard system after more than 60 books. The scholar was awarded Venky Narayanmurthi headed the Harvard College $8,775 by the State for translating Tirukkural. of Engineering and Applied Sciences nearly a However, he had donated the amount to Tamil decade back, and Nitin Nohria was named Dean of University for setting up of an endowment to the prestigious Harvard Business School in 2010. propagate Tirukkural. In his acceptance speech, Khurana earned his BS from Cornell University. the scholar said after learning Tirukkural, he found He began graduate studies at Harvard in 1993, that the teachings of Saint Tiruvallur and Chinese earning his PhD in 1998. He was appointed to the philosopher Confucius were similar with regard to HBS faculty in 2000 and became co-master of ethics, statecraft, etc. Cabot in 2010. He taught at Massachusetts 24. US RETURNS MISSING SCULPTURES Institute of Technology between 1998 and 2000. TO BHARAT: The US has returned to Bharat Prior to graduate school, he worked as a founding three ancient sculptures that had been smuggled member of Cambridge Technology Partners. into the US by art dealers and accomplices. "I'd 22. SURYA NAMASKAR YAGNA 2014 IN really like to express very heartfelt gratitude to US INDIANAPOLIS: On Saturday, January 18th, the authorities for having invested so much time, first Yogathon for Indianapolis was held at United energy and resources in obtaining, securing and Methodist Church in Fishers, Indiana. In the 2- now helping us repatriate these [idols] to the place hour program, 35 participants collectively where they belong," Mr. Mulay said. The 11th- performed nearly 2,000 Surya Namaskars and 12th Century sandstone sculptures had been stolen learned about the benefits of Yoga. The Yogathon from temples in Bharat and offered for sale in the was organized by Srimala ji and Uday ji Murthy. US. Their outreach efforts brought together residents 25. YOUNG BHARATIYA SCIENTISTS NO from various towns of Indiana such as Fishers, LONGER HESITANT TO RETURN, SAYS Greenwood, Indianapolis, and Greenfield. MASHELKAR: Young Bharatiya scientists – in The program began with a detailed presentation by great demand all over the world – are now more Akshay Bhagwatwar explaining what is SNY and than willing to come back to their motherland, its benefits. Aparna Soni helped everyone warm feels renowned scientist Dr. RA Mashelkar who up with different stretching exercises. This was was awarded the Padma Vibhushan on January 25. followed by a Surya Namaskar demonstration by “There is a new realization among young scientists Aathreya Murthy and Darshan Soni with Aparna that it is great to be in Bharat. Bharat was always Soni being the Sutradhar. Yogathon concluded the land of ideas. But it was the US that was the with guided Shavasana by Uday Murthy ji. land of opportunities. Now the equation has 23. TAIWAN-ORIGIN SCHOLAR OF changed. There has been a vast expansion of the TAMIL GETS THIRUVALLUVAR AWARD: Bharatiya education and research institution Taiwan scholar and poet Dr. Yu Hsi (Hung Ching system. The investments in industrial R&D are Yu), who has translated Tirukkural and the poems going up nonlinearly”, he said. of Subramaniya Bharathi and poet Bharathidasan 26. RUPEE, LEGAL TENDER IN in Mandarin, was conferred with the Thiruvalluvar ZIMBABWE: The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, Award instituted by the Tamil Nadu government on January 29 said it would add the Bharatiya on January 15. The founder president of the Tamil rupee to the basket of currencies to be circulated in 6 the country.The decision has been taken keeping available online through a website, said a senior in view the growing trade and investment ties official from the Union Culture Ministry. The between the two countries. Zimbabwe no longer official said that the digitization, which is being done has its own currency.The southern African country by ‘Jatan’ software by Pune-based Centre for the abandoned its local currency, the Zimbabwean Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC), dollar, in 2009 after it had been ravaged by includes archiving the location to which the artifact hyperinflation, and introduced a basket of foreign belongs, its date and age, nature, measurements and currencies dominated by the US dollar. detailed visual description. Jatan, a virtual museum 27. INFOSYS CO-FOUNDER GIVES IISC Rs builder software, is basically a digital collection 225 CRORE: In one of the biggest philanthropic management system specially designed for museums. contributions to the Pure Sciences, Infosys 29. ACT, TO RETAIN OUR CULTURAL executive vice-chairman Kris Gopalakrishnan has PURITY – RAJIV MALHOTRA: It was an set aside Rs 225 crore to develop a Centre for enlightening evening for hundreds of patriotic Brain Research at the Bharatiya Institute of citizens of Bangalore on January 19. The occasion Science in Bangalore. It's also one of the single- was the talk and interaction session by the renowned largest donations the 105-year-old institute has researcher and writer Rajiv Malhotra organized by received from an individual. Kris, a co-founder of the social service trust Uthishta. It also coincided the Bangalore-based IT giant, will give the money with the release of the Kannada version of Rajiv's under the banner of the Pratiksha Trust, a book 'Being Different'. charitable organization he has set up with his wife Rajiv Malhotra said "the situation is grim...unless we Sudha. The trust funds education, research, act now, it will be too late for us to retain our innovation and entrepreneurship. Kris will also cultural purity". There are many forces and fund the setting up of three chairs each in the concerted efforts out there to demean our great departments of computer science, IISc and at the heritage and culture. Crores of dollars are being IIT, Madras. "The broad goal of the centre is to spent every year on projects meant to spread mis- understand the functioning of the brain," said information about our history and religion. Many of Vijayalakshmi Ravindranath, chairperson, Centre the foreign supported so called 'human rights for Neuroscience, IISc. With its focus on clinical groups', 'empowerment projects', 'education projects', research, the centre is expected to have 50-75 'training programs' etc are really involved in faculty as well as visiting faculty and post-doctoral nefarious activities. Justice N Kumar of Karnataka students. The centre will be an autonomous body. High court called upon the audience to sacrifice little bit from our present day comforts and support such 28. BHARAT’S CULTURAL TREASURES projects. He said, without that sacrifice and action TO GO ONLINE: In the days to come, with just from each individual, there is no point in how much a click of the mouse one can have a glimpse of ever we talk. lakhs of Bharat’s rich cultural treasures, including 30. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN: Pravas: Shri artefacts and antiquity, kept in the 52 Government- Saumitra Gokhale samyojak Vishwa Vibhag would run museums across the country. These were never reach Bharat for ABPS baithak and other pravas till on display and the new initiative would make mid-March. Visitors: Ashes Ramjivan - Mauritius, Bharat the first country in the world to adopt such Savitriji – Netherlands, Arjun Lal Sharma – UK. a nationwide system wherein rich cultural FOOD FOR THOUGHT: “ Youth is not the prime treasures that are currently inaccessible to be of life, but a state of mind. You are as young as your available to the public through a searchable and faith and as old as your doubts, you are as young as centralised database. In the first phase, by the your self-confidence and as old as your fear.” – year-end, the treasure in the trove kept in the Yadav Rao Joshi. country‘s 10 major national museums will be JAI SHREE RAM 7

HE WAS LUCKY Netaji asked this question. After a pause, Sardar TO HAVE MET NETAJI Pratap Singh said that he was waiting to see how Vivek Shukla much money was collected. After that he would Sardar Sewa Singh Namdhari was a bridge donate the same amount later. Netaji was between the Sikhs of Thailand and Bharat, and one overwhelmed with this gesture and embraced his of the few people alive who had a face to face host. Even after the passage of so many decades of meeting with Netaji Bose. His passing away snaps that meeting, Namdhari remembered every word yet another link with the charismatic leader. With Netaji spoke to his father: “Now, I am convinced the recent passing away of Sardar Sewa Singh that with sons like you, your motherland would be Namdhari, Bharat lost another link with Netaji freed sooner than later”, Netaji had said. Subhas Chandra Bose’s era. Till the last days of Namdhari was born in Bangkok. His family was his eventful life, the memory of his meeting with among the first Bharatiya families who came to Netaji was not diminished. Thailand after 1920 and Bangkok was indeed the It was at his place in Bangkok in the 1940s that centre of migrant Sikhs. The early migrant were in Netaji Bose came to interact with the local to trading of cloths. There being no gurdwara, Bharatiya community. Namdhari was then a young religious prayers were held in the homes of the man doing business with his father. Local Sikhs in rotation on every Sunday, Sangran and all Bharatiyas came in hordes to meet the charismatic the Gurpurab days. Namdhari was proud of the Bose. Namdhari’s father, Sardar Pratap Singh’s fact that Thailand’s strong Bharatiya community house was chosen to host the meeting with Netaji, regarded Netaji as no less that God. Even though as more than 1,000 people could be the generation that saw and greatly admired him is accommodated. He was also greatly respected in almost negligible, it is a legacy they have left to the local Bharatiya community. As an 18-year-old, their successors. Unlike in Bharat, one can still Namdhari worked hard with his father to ensure find photos of Netaji in his khakhi dress placed at that everything went off well when Netaji came to vantage points in Bharatiya homes. their place. Once Bharat got freedom in 1947, Sewa Singh Once, while recalling that meeting, Namdhari said, Namdhari shifted to Delhi, though part of his “Netaji came to the meeting place exactly on time. family remained back. And in Delhi, he was very The crowd went wild on seeing their hero in flesh active with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and and blood for the first time. People lifted him on remains head of Delhi unit in 60s. It was not a their shoulders and started chanting slogans like, small thing that a Sikh working in RSS. He ‘Netaji zindabad’ and ‘Bharat mata ki jai’. Many worked with the likes of Balasaheb Deoras, Kedar in the crowd started weeping in the wake of his Nath Sahni, Vijay Kumar Malhotra and others. He brilliant oratory. They felt helpless sitting was part of the famous cow protection movement thousands of miles away from their motherland.” that shook New Delhi in 1966 ,as most prominent Netaji exhorted the Bharatiya community to help personalities like Puri Shankaracharya and so that he could fight the British. He spoke for Prabhudatt Brahmachariji were on fast unto death. over 30 minutes and the moment he completed his For a while, he was also heading the Vishwa emotionally charged speech, the expatriate Hindu Parishad’s Delhi chapter. For a Sikh to head Bharatiya community started giving everything the RSS in the national capital was not a small they had with them. When almost everybody had achievement. During his frequent trips to contributed, he was taken aback that his main host Thailand, he exhorted the Bharatiya community to Sardar Pratap Singh didn’t contribute anything. He remain in touch with Bharat. As and when there asked his host the reason for not helping the cause was any calamity here, he visited Thailand to of his motherland. Namdhari was present when collect relief. –The Pioneer, 22 January 2014 8