: P.O.BOX 5728 SRT NAGAR, NEW DELHI 110055 (BHARAT); Email: [email protected] No. Sm1121/2068 (For Private Circulation Only) Falgun Shukla 9 Vik Samvat 2068. Yugabda 5113 Tel: 91-11- 23684445; Fax: 91-11-23517722 16 February 2012 1. FESTIVAL: ‘BAHUBALI IS AN ICON OF 2542 villages. More than 51,699 people from the NON-VIOLENCE’ - MOHAN BHAGWAT general public including a large number of women Bahubali is an icon of non-violence, represents also witnessed the event. Addressing the national integrity. Bahubali brought the religion in swayamsevaks, Shri Bhagwat said mere practice in life. He is a Mahapurush” said RSS celebration of Swami Vivekananda’s birth Sarasabghachalak Mohan ji Bhagwat while anniversary is not sufficient, real remembrance of participating in the Maha-Mastakaabhisheka him would be through implementing the values he celebrations of Sri Bahubali at Venoor Jain Shrine propagated. on January 31st. Udupi Pejawar Seer Vishwesha In his presidential address, Sri A R Ramalingam, Theertha Swamiji, Jain Seer Sri Charukeerthi Retd Justice of Chennai High Court remarked, “I Bhattaraka Swamiji of Shravanabelagola, have heard of Sangh. Today I am seeing in front of Seetarama Kedilaya, Akhila Bharatheeya Seva me. I can feel the qualities of Discipline, Pramukh of RSS and other RSS top functionaries Patriotism, Service, and Sacrifice in you.” were present during the ceremony. A book “Thirai” translated from Kannada novel Dr D Veerendra Heggade, Dharmadhikari of “Aavarana” was released by Sri Mohan Bhagawat. Dharmasthala temple, felicitated RSS Several mathadhipatis, dharmacharyas and senior Sarasanghachalak Mohan Bhagwat. sangh adhikaaris participated in the gathering. Bahubali, also called Gomateshwara is the second 3. PIL AGAINST BHAGAVAD GEETA IN of the hundred sons of the first Tirthankara, SCHOOLS REJECTED: The petition filed by Rishabha, and king of Podanpur. An esteemed Catholic Bishop’s Council against introduction of figure in Jain hagiography; his story exemplifies ‘Geeta Sar’ or Essence of Bhagavad Geeta in the inner strength of Bharatiya culture. He won school curriculum, has been dismissed by the everything from his brother and could have Madhya Pradesh High Court on 27th January. The become an emperor, but he returned everything to petition was filed in August 2011. The petition the brother. Bahubali is considered the ideal of the was filed by the Council spokesman Fr Anand man who conquers selfishness, jealousy, pride and Muttungal. anger. The court upheld the fact that Bhagavad Geeta (Maha-Mastakaabhisheka* is a festival held once contained no religious teachings, but contained in 12 years, when the image of Gommateshvara is only the philosophy of life. Earlier, the court had bathed in milk, curds, ghee, saffron and gold given the petitioner’s counsel a time limit of 2 coins.) months to study the holy text in entirety and then 2. MAMMOTH GATHERING OF come to any decision. SWAYAMSEVAKS IN KANYAKUMARI: According to Additional Advocate General RSS Sarsanghachalak Shri Mohan Bhagwat Prashant Singh, the Division Bench comprising of addressed a huge gathering of swayamsevaks at Justice Ajit Singh and Justice Sanjay Yadav asked Nagerkoil in Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu the petitioner a few questions. Not satisfied with on February 12. The event was organised as part the answers given, the court declared that the of the 150th birth anniversary of Swami Bhagavad Geeta was Bharatiya Philosophy and Vivekananda. A total of 15,906 swayamsevaks in not a religious text. The petition was dismissed complete uniform participated in the function from thereafter. 1 4. MOBILE DISPENSARY FOR NAXAL-HIT About 1500 patients are examined and treated per VANAVASIS: Gadchiroli district that lies along month through this mobile clinic. Patients affected the edge of Maharashtra is regarded as one of the by chronic ailments need to be shifted to the most undeveloped and backward tribal region of hospital in case of casualty. Such needy patients the country. This district is gripped by various are shifted to the hospitals at Nagpur and development-related problems such as health, Chandrapur by the samiti. After shifting them, the education and employment. Also, the naxal samiti also takes a regular account of their health menace and malnutrition are at their peaks. progress. Check-up camps are conducted from Government initiated a number of schemes for the time to time regarding contagious diseases, eye up-liftment of the region but whether those ailments, cardiac diseases, etc by a team of schemes reached up to the common people is experts. Till now, a number of camps have been really a matter of concern. conducted by the samiti in the remote villages Deriving inspiration from Rashtriya Swayamsevak such as Binagunda, Thodewara, Gobnar, Sangh, Dr Hegewar Janmshatabdi Seva Samiti, Midadhapalli and Laheri located in Bhamragarh since several years, is striving to reach healthcare taluka on the border of Maharashtra and and educational facilities up to the vanavasi Chhattisgarh. brethren residing in the remote regions of the A woman needs complete healthcare during country. With an objective of providing healthcare pregnancy. However, this fact is ignored by and creating health awareness among the people of elderly people due to illiteracy and lack of Aheri, Etapalli, Bhamragarh and Mulchera regions awareness. This proves fatal for woman many a of Gadchiroli District through mobile dispensary, times. To create awareness among villagers the samiti initiated this work in 1988 to mark the regarding this aspect, a team of Arogya Rakshikas centenary year of RSS founder Dr Keshav was constituted by Dr Hedgewar Janmashatabdi Balirampant Hedgewar. Samiti. Meena Mattami, Sheetal Weladi, Munni The samiti adopts one major village situated in the Atram from the village has been given Arogya remote region where government aid cannot reach Rakshika training. Pregnant women in the village and provides healthcare to the people in the are regularly examined and are given necessary surrounding region. Petha village in Etapalli healthcare by these Arogya Rakshikas. taluka, Kishtapur in Mulchera, Nagulwahi, Due to all these aspects, the sapling that was Kolpalli, Guddigudam in Aheri taluka, and a planted by Dr Hedgewar has now turned into a number of villages in Bhamragarh taluka have banyan tree. A number of seva activities are being been benefitted by this project. run in the entire country; this mobile clinic is one Initially, through people’s contribution, a jeep was of them that served as an angel for the vanavasi used for the project. After the expiry period, brethren residing in the remote regions of the Member of Parliament Hansraj Ahir arranged for country. (www.newsbharati.com) an ambulance that regularly visits the health 5. SIT GIVES CLEAN CHIT TO NARENDRA centres and serves the need of the people. Along MODI IN ZAKIA CASE: The Supreme Court- with this ambulance service, seva samiti’s mobile appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) to clinic is also being run by Dr Suresh Dambole investigate the 2002 Gujarat riots case has from Aheri. The medicines required for the mobile submitted its report on a petition filed by the dispensary is arranged free of cost by seva samiti widow of slain Congress MP Ehsaan Jafri against karyakartas. They collect these medicines from the Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi over his doctors and medical stores located in the city. alleged involvement in the Gulbarg Society Inspired by this project, people from the region massacre case. The report gave a clean chit to constructed a building for running this clinic Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi over regularly at Petha through shramdaan (self labour). allegations of his involvement in the 2002 riots. This clinic has given a great relief to the patients Zakia Jafri, widow of slain Congress MP Ehsaan in the surrounding region. Jafri, and Citizens for Justice and Peace, the non- 2 governmental organisation led by Teesta Setalvad, It took him almost two-and-a-half years to get the have filed a petition in the court alleging that the first copy. "I received volumes of the holy book SIT report on the Gulbarg Society massacre in the for proof reading from Mumbai one by one. It post-Godhra riots in Gujarat was not complete. consumed a lot of time. Moreover, those involved In March 2010, the Supreme Court-appointed in the printing work could not decipher corrections Special Investigation Team had questioned Modi made by me. Later, my nephew Jagjit Singh came in connection with a petition by the widow of to my rescue. He joined a Sikh institution in Ropar Congress leader Ehsaan Jafri, who was among 70 to learn Gurmukhi especially to help me out. We people killed by rioters in Ahmedabad's Gulbarg both then went to Mumbai where we finished Society on February 28, 2002. proof reading during our stay," he said. In February 2011, the SIT that probed the 2002 8. DRDO COCHLEAR IMPLANT TO COST Godhra riots has indicted Gujarat chief minister ONLY RS1 LAKH: The Naval Science and Narendra Modi on many counts, but said there was Technological Laboratory (NSTL), based at not enough substantiation to prosecute him. Visakhapatnam, a unit of DRDO - Defence 6. 7 BHARATIYA -AMERICANS FIGURE IN Research and Development Organisation has INTEL SCIENCE FINALIST IN US : Seven developed an affordable cochlear implant, which Bharatiya -Americans have figured among the 40 will cost around Rs1 lakh. This is much cheaper finalists for the Intel Science Talent Search; which than similar imported