PANCHAAMRITAM 201

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Vishwa Samvad Kendra, Chennai

PANCHAAMRITAM 201

Pancha is five in Samskritam, Amritam is nectar

Poornima / Kali Yugaabda 5112 / Vikruti Maargazhi 6 (December 21, 2010)

 

On receiving PANCHAMIRTHAM 200, Shri Veerachamy, Education Officer, Vivekananda Educational Society, Chennai, thanked Team Panchaamritam for its "great service". May the Almighty shower all His blessings on the Team and give good health to it to continue "your service", he added. It is worth noting that Shri Veerachamy hopes to glean good news anecdotes from out of his collection to benefit schoolchildren. He has a spiral-bound volume of all issues of PANCHAAMRITAM from 1 to 200 ready.

ONE

The village has a population of just 6,530 as per Census 2001. Of these, 300 are ex-service men. Another 300 presently serve the Army. The village president Shri Karuppaiah too is an ex-srevice man. "Among the ideals dear to our hearts is service to motherland ", he says. It was on the advice of the ex-servicemen's association of the village that he contested the local body election and was elected, informs Karuppaiah. I shall protect honesty as seriously as I would protect the nation, he adds. The village is, Panchampatti off Dindukkal (Tamilnadu, Bharat). DINAMALAR, November 28, 2010.   

TWO

In their spare time, these young professionals roam around the city of Mumbai (Maharashtra, Bharat). They scan walls and plumbing, looking for plants and trees that might be growing on them and need to be relocated. Meet Green Umbrella, Mumbai's only plant rescue team, devoted to bailing out trees. Once rescued, the tree is transferred to a makeshift nursery where it is nurtured back to health and then planted again in an area where trees are needed. "The idea of rescuing trees came to my mind on Vat Purnima (Hindu festival). On this day, married women tie threads to banyan trees, but there are no trees around," says , Vikram Yende, a bank employee and founder, Green Umbrella. Today, the group has rescued more than 200 saplings. Green Umbrella focuses on saving indigenous Indian trees like banyan, pipal, vad and umber. "These trees suit the local environment and provide food and shelter to local fauna," says Yende. They absorb the maximum amount of carbon dioxide and release more oxygen. They also absorb toxic gases to some extent and have a higher resistance to pollution. They also grow various Indian species plants from their seeds and branches. The team has also been meeting officials from the government, forest department and BMC to emphasise the benefits of native species plants and to request them to take concrete steps to plant them in mass quantities. From a report by Smt Sneha Mahale in HINDUSTAN TIMES, September 27,  2010.

THREE

Sixteen-year-old Bhargava, of Shree Ramakrishna High School, Puttur (Karnataka), whose project is one of the winning entries explained his whole experiment with undying enthusiasm. "We produced eco-friendly ink from Terminalia chebula, the ink plant. Using essence of other flowers we even created brownish red and bluish black coloured ink. This ink is a non-pollutant; it is almost permanent and costs nothing more than six rupees," he said. Ask of how they chanced upon this idea and his partner Pramoda said, "Dhobis mark clothes with ink extracted from exactly this plant. We then thought why not use this chemical free ink for writing too; especially now that ink pens are out of fashion." This duo is among 87 finalists selected from 1,300 projects across the country who vied for the National honours at Initiative for Research & Innovation in Science (IRIS) 2010. Eight innovators then won their way through the four day selection process in Mumbai in late November. These students will now represent India at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) 2011 at Los Angeles, California between May 8 and 13, 2011.  From a report by Smt Pavithra.S. in THE HINDU, December 7, 2010.

FOUR

Milk of the indigenous, small-sized Vechur cow is more beneficial to health than that from the more common cross-bred bovine varieties. This has been revealed in a study conducted at the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences in Thrissur by E.M. Muhammed for his thesis for MVSc. programme. Dr. Muhammed, who is on leave from the Animal Husbandry Department to pursue his postgraduate studies, has concluded that beta casein A2 , a milk protein that prevents diabetes, heart diseases, atherosclerosis, autism and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), is found in Vechur cattle in higher measure than in cross-bred Jersey, Holstein-Friesian and Brown Swiss varieties which are Keralite's favourites since they yield more milk. The study was conducted by Dr. Muhammed under the guidance of Dr. Stephen Mathew, Professor in the Department of Animal Breeding, Genetics and Biostatistics. Milch breeds such as Holstein Friesian and Ayrshire have a high frequency of A1 gene but most of the Indian breeds have only the beneficial A2 gene. For this thesis, Dr. Muhammed has made a comparative study of presence of A2 in Vechur cows and cross-bred cows in the State and found that though cross-breeding of cattle may yield more milk, it may also increase presence of harmful A1 gene in the State's bovine population. Vechur cows yield less milk than exotic cross-breeds (about two to three kg daily which is nearly half of that from cross-breeds) but needs almost no veterinary care at all. Population of Vechur cow, a native to Vechur in Kottayam district and found in Kottayam- Ernakulam - Alappuzha belt (Kerala, Bharat), has dwindled to around 200. This variety almost became extinct because of aggressive cross-breeding policies followed in the State by using exotic germplasm on local female cattle. From a report by Shri R. Madhavan Nair in THE HINDU, August 1, 2010.

FIVE

During the past 37 years, the 54-year-old Kishor C. Bhatt of Mumbai has carried out the last rites for as many as 1,500 unclaimed bodies -- slum dwellers, beggars, orphans and the sick -- who have no family, or whose family are too poor to pay for them. Sending off the dead in the right way is especially important in India, where ceremonies are designed to purify and console the living and the dead. It all started in 1968 when he was living in Saurashtra (Gujarat, Bharat). The then-17-year-old went to give food to the victims after floods washed into Surat, Gujarat. He was distraught when he saw hordes of human corpses entangled with those of animals, and told his father. Bhatt's father, the owner of a garment company, told his son that irrespective of what a person was doing when they were alive, they deserved to get their last rites. So Bhatt began picking up unclaimed bodies and performing their last rites. It is a mark of respect that he bears at his own cost, despite many offering donations. Mostly he carries out cremations, which costs upward of 1,000 rupees. He even scatters the ashes into the Arabian Sea at Chowpatty Beach. Hospitals and police officers in Mumbai ring him up to tell him that a body has arrived, and no one has claimed it. His son, Viren, died of fever when he was 17 years old. Bhatt performed the last rites for him only after finishing the ceremony he was already conducting for an unclaimed corpse. From a report by Smt Marianne Bray on CNN / Also THE HINDU Young World, December 7, 2010.

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STATES COVERED: Tamilnadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala and Gujarat.

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PANCHAAMRITAM 200

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Vishwa Samvad Kendra, Chennai

PANCHAAMRITAM 200

Pancha is five in Samskritam, Amritam is nectar

Amavaasya / Kali Yugaabda 5112 / Vikruti Kaarthigai 19 (December 5, 2010)

There does exist a different world, right amidst us. There is just not enough light being thrown on it. This world is filled with gentle and caring human beings, where stories of determination and courage are enacted every day. Honesty and Passion motivate the ordinary citizens of this world to do extraordinary tasks, one day at a time for several decades even. "Panchaamritam" is a Seva that has been throwing light on this Other World by reporting on five good things every fortnight. And they have done this 199 times already. Issue No. 200 is just a few days away! (A recent note in the `Seva Bharathi Tamilnadu Blog' )

ONE

An Integral Coach Factory (ICF) employee, Jayakumar of Chennai (Tamilnadu, Bharat) handed over Rs 1,99,700 to Anna Nagar police station on November 22 , 2010. His son Aravind Raj spotted 500 rupee note bundles scattered on the road while Jayakumar was taking him in his two-wheeler to the Velammal School, Mugappair. The ICF employee collected the money and submitted it to the nearby Anna Nagar police station. This was later advertised in newspapers. Selvam Arumugham, an employee in BIL International Private Ltd, noticed it and informed the police that he had lost money on the same day. Selvam was carrying the day's collection of Rs1,99,700 and gave it to his son, who was pillion riding his bike. As it started raining, Selvam put his son in an auto and sent him to school. After sending him, Selvam realised that he had left the money with his son. Immediately he followed the auto in his bike only to find that his son had dropped it on the road. A search proved futile. After hearing Selvam's story, and verifying it, the police handed over the money to him. Jayakumar and son were honoured and appreciated for their honesty by Chennai City Police Commissioner.

THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS, November 30, 2010.

TWO

The book Economic Principles of the Vedic Tradition (2010) by Nicholas Kazanas (Publisher: Aditya Prakashan, Delhi) deals with economic principles as found in the more ancient sources of the Vedic period in so far as this is possible. Despite few economic terms used throughout the text like Land Value Taxation (which means simply taxing the value of land alone) there is nothing complex or complicated in this study and reading it does not require any training in Economics. By showing the relation of the Indic principles to certain modern concepts and particularly to Land Value Taxation, the book goes a long way in bringing into light many valuable economic concepts and practices supported by an institutional framework.  Thus we meet the same concern about the distribution of wealth that occupies the mind of modern economists. How much does a man or a family need to earn and how much should be given to the royal treasury (i.e. the State) and how should these be determined? Or to put it in other terms, how should taxation be levied? Then, how should the State dispose of its revenue? Also, how should lending operate and what would be fair rates of interest? The lawgivers in ancient India were fully aware of all these issues. A most surprising feature is the principles of free access to land for all and the Land Value Tax which should be the source of Government revenue (and expenditure). It is surprising because Land Value Taxation is supposed to be a fairly modern concept. 

From a note by Dr. S Kalyanaraman, Chennai.

THREE

Hermunde village in Udupi district (Karnataka, Bharat) chants `kabaddi, kabaddi' as Mamata Poojary wins the Best Raider award at the Asian Games. Before the talent spotters discovered her, she lived with her parents in a remote hamlet in Dakshina Kannada district where they had no electricity, where two decent meals a day was a luxury, and where even now no vehicle can drive up to her doorstep, because there are no motorable roads. Her parents are coolies, her brother works in a garage. Mamata had to trudge five to six kilometres to school every day. The fish that she or her brother caught in the roiling stream near their home was the only `delicacy' her family could afford. Fish, fried or pickled, incidentally remains her favourite dish. Despite being poor, her parents never dissuaded her from sports. On November 26, 2010, India beat Thailand 28-14 at Guangzhou to win the gold medal in women's kabaddi and Mamata was adjudged Best Raider of the Asian Games. The Southern Railways asked Mamata if she would play for their team and offered her a job in Andhra Pradesh. But Mamata was then in the final year of her BA course and unwilling to give up her studies. But when she was told that she could complete her education later, she accepted the offer but returned last year to clear her exams.  

http://www.bangaloremirror.com , November 29, 2010.

FOUR

Patient and persistent efforts to bring about social transformation can bring about spectacular results. The place is Kadaladi Community Block in Ramanathapuram district (Tamilnadu, Bharat). Sevabharathi recently conducted a blood group identification camp there, as a prelude to blood donation camps. Speaking at the inaugural function as the Special Guest, the Chairman of Kadaladi Community Block, Shri Lingam Palkalai remarked, "This block is known for frequent violent incidents involving knife attacks and liberal spilling of blood. So, I am immensely pleased and surprised that the villagers have come forward to join hands with Sevabharathi and donate blood to save lives." Those in the audience immediately promised that they will not just stop with blood donation, but actively participate in the other Seva projects of Sevabharathi as well! Touching, isn't it?     From blog:  http://sevabharathitn.wordpress.com/

FIVE

"It is my passion to donate blood till the time I can do so", said Rattan Lal Chugh, a resident of Fazilka (Punjab, Bharat), who has become synonymous with blood bank in the area. A shopkeeper, 39-year-old Rattan Lal Chugh has donated blood 102 times in over 23 years. He has been donating the elixir of life since he was a youth. Knowing well that blood can be donated every three months, Chugh has donated it 102 times instead of 92 times. The reason: He would never turn away anyone at his doorstep seeking blood. He has not only donated blood but has also contributed towards organising blood donation camps through which nearly 2,000 voluntary donors have donated blood. In recognition of his commendable services towards blood donation, he was honoured by the principal secretary, health, at a state-level blood donation function held at Barnala recently.

Based on a report by Shri Praful C Nagpal in THE TRIBUNE, Bhathinda Edition, August 2, 2010; also from PATHIK SANDESH, Hindi monthly, Jalandhar, September 2010.

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PANCHAAMRITAM 199

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Vishwa Samvad Kendra, Chennai

PANCHAAMRITAM 199

Pancha is five in Samskritam, Amritam is nectar

Poornima / Kali Yugaabda 5112 / Vikruti Kaarthigai 2 (November 21, 2010)

 ONE

An elderly woman was found ill and left deserted at the Gandhipuram bus stand in Coimbatore (Tamilnadu, Bharat) a few days ago. P Mahendiran, an entrepreneur-cum-social worker visited the spot after some of his friends informed him about the woman. He got her admitted at Sree Anbalayam Rehabilitation Home at Vadavalli run by K Srikala on the outskirts of the city.  Later when, Mahendiran asked M Rukmani about her family she said she was under the care of an oldage home in Coonoor where she was one among the 15 inmates. Mahendiran visited the oldage home run by Christian missionary in Coonoor to enquire the reason behind leaving Rukmani at the bus stand. The priest said that she left the home on her own. Meanwhile, he got information about her sister's son working in Aravankadu. He detailed him about Rukmani, who is now at an oldage home in Coimbatore. The youth wasn't interested in taking care of his aunt. Mahendiran returned to Sri Anbalayam Rehabilitation Home with a determination to help the deserted woman. He spent his spare time looking after her. Within  five days, he said, he made her walk with the help of a walker. Mahendiran said that a sensitisation programme is the need of the hour to help the youth care for elderly people.        THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS, November 15, 2010.

TWO

Speaking on November 17 at a press conference at Chennai, organised by cosmologists to announce a global conference on cosmology to be held at Bangalore from December 2 to 4, Prof N Sivagnanam, former head of the department of Geography, Anna University, said that references to global warming could be found in the works of Varahamihira, an ancient Indian astronomer, who lived between 505 and 587 AD. He had compiled the results of research done before his lifetime, and in that, had given references to global warming, the professor said. Seminars during the global conference would throw more light on the ancient knowledge related to global warming, he added. Reference to global warming could also be found in Surya Sidhantha, a treatise of Indian astronomy, said Dr Sivagnanam. The conference would bring together scientists, cosmologists, and experts of different ancient civilizations, including the Mayan, Aztec, Hindu, Roman, Buddhist and Incas, explained DN Acharya, founder president, Srinivas Jyothish Vigyan Research Foundation, which is organising the global conference. More than 250 delegates were expected in this conference, which would serve as an interface between scientists and cosmologists, he added.       THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS, November 18, 2010.

THREE

The first World Sanskrit Book Fair will be held in bangaluru (Karnataka, Bharat) in January 2011. At the four-day fair, scholars in the ancient Indian language from around 20 countries will interact with their Indian counterparts on the 'treasure house of Indian knowledge tradition', said M.N. Venkatachalaiah, former chief justice of India and president of the National Advisory Board, World Sanskrit Book Fair. Though titled World Sanskrit Book Fair, it will have books in all Indian languages on Sanskrit literature. 'People are longing to go back to the roots and access primary sources (of knowledge). Hence the fair is being held to make Sanskrit literature available in all Indian languages to the public,' Venkatachalaiah said. The popularity of Yoga, Ayurveda, Vedanta (ancient Hindu religious texts) and Bhagawad Gita has brought about renewed interest the world over to learn Sanskrit, he said. The Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, Sanskrit universities, oriental research institutes and Sanskrit academies will be among the participants, he said. About 100 publishers from India will display their books in and on Sanskrit. Around 10,000 delegates from India and abroad will participate. Sifynews, September 20, 2010

FOUR

US First Lady Michelle Obama purchased wooden Lord Ganesh, a Hanuman, and Patachitra and Madhubani paintings (which usually depict Hindu religious themes), etc., during her visit to New Delhi's Crafts Museum on November 8. Eminent Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) on November 9, commended Michelle Obama's, 46, reported interest in Hindu artifacts and added that if she wanted to explore Hinduism further, he or other Hindu scholars would be glad to assist. Rajan Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, pointed out.Lord Ganesh is worshipped as god of wisdom and remover of obstacles and invoked before the beginning of any major undertaking. Lord Hanuman is known for his incredible strength. Both Ganesh and Hanuman are highly revered in Hinduism, oldest and third largest religion of the world with about one billion adherents, whose ultimate goal is moksh (liberation). in.news.yahoo.com, November 9, 2010.

FIVE

It all began with a group of BSNL officials in Chennai who used to buy meals tickets and distribute them among beggars every day at noon. That was 10 years back. Now Shri Lakshminrasimhan, one among those officials, takes his friends along to villages in the neighbouring districts on holidays and involves them in free note books distribution benefitting poor children of government elementary schools out there. He claims to have distributed over one lakh notebooks in the past few years.  Team PANCHAAMRITAM.

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PANCHAAMRITAM 198

Visit us at http://pancha-amritam.blogspot.com/

Vishwa Samvad Kendra, Chennai

PANCHAAMRITAM 198

Pancha is five in Samskritam, Amritam is nectar

Amavaasya / Kali Yugaabda 5112 / Vikruti Ayppasi 19 (November 5, 2010)

On the sacred occasion of Deepavali, this issue focuses on

the noble quality of giving – Moderator

 

ONE

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prof. Prem Kumar Dhumal unveiled a tall Hanuman statue on November 4, 2010. He says that with the unveiling of the world's tallest statue of Lord Hanuman, Jakhu hills off Shimla (Himachal Pradesh, Bharat) has come on to the map of the world tourism. He said that this statue was constructed at the cost of Rs 1.5 crore by HC Nanda Trust who were die-hard devotees of Hanuman. He said that 108 feet tall statue built on famous Jakhu Hills at an altitude of 7500 feet which makes this statue the tallest statue of the world. Now the tourists as well as the locals coming to Shimla would be able to see the statue of Lord Hanuman from a distance of 20 kilometers. Dhumal said that State Government is all out to promote pilgrimage tourism in the State of Himachal Pradesh known as Dev Bhoomi or the land of gods. Bollywood actors Parikshit Sawhney and Abhishek Bachhan were allso present at the occasion.

Based on a report by Shri Anil Kimta in THE PIONEER on November 5, 2010.

TWO

Tamil film actor Vijay gifted 108 milch cows to poor families in Udumalpet near Coimbatore (Tamilnadu, Bharat). The 36-year-old actor's under-production film 'Velayudham' is being shot in the Kollywood's famous coconut-lined locale of Udumalpet. Bellowing cows lined up at a glitzy function in Udumalpet town as Vijay personally handed over the bovines to villagers. In Hindu tradition, donating cows is considered to be a sacred gift to appease the Gods. The actor, the production crew of 'Velayudham' and his fan clubs pooled in funds to gift the cows. At the function held a day before Deepavali (November 4, 2010), Vijay tried to strike an emotional chord with the poor of Tamil Nadu. ''Many TN families are unable to buy fireworks for their kids because of poverty. But these milch cows will provide a livelihood for the poor people,'' he said.

From THE TIMES OF INDIA, November 5, 2010

THREE

Smt. S. Bhavani, a Dalit woman auto driver, was surprised to receive a cheque for $1,000 (Rs.44,000) from a philanthropist. The benevolent action came from Shri Ram Ramanujam, a resident of California State in the United States. Ramanujam, after reading the plight of Bhavani (in The Hindu newspaper's online edition dated October 20, 2010) sent the cheque along with a covering letter to The Editor stating "everyone should appreciate Bhavani's inner strength and determination and we need more Bhavanis in the world to make a difference." Bhavani (28) of Kallakurikki village, nearly 7 km from Krishnagiri town (Tamilndu, Bharat), is the only woman who has a Light Motor Vehicle licence for auto in the district. The cheque was handed over to her by District Collector Shri.  V. Arun Roy at the Collectorate on November 4, 2010. He promised the woman every possible help she needed from the district administration to buy an autorickshaw . (After her husband's death in 2006, Bhavani has been working as a daily wage labourer to eke out a living besides educating her two sons and a daughter. She had hired an auto and was driving it for over a month. Following resistance from her father-in-law Chennaiyan, a village assistant, she stopped driving. "After much persuasion from my neighbours and well-wishers, my father-in-law has allowed me to drive an auto", Bhavani was reported to have said.).

Based on a report in THE HINDU, November 5, 2010

FOUR

It was a special and unique occasion for inmates of the Home for Psychosocial Rehabilitation of Mentally Ill Persons at Tirupattur (Vellore district, Tamilnadu, Bharat) as they celebrated  Deepavali as `Anandha Deepavali' – with District Collector C. Rajendran and a number of invitees drawn from various walks of life on November 3, 2010. The Collector took the initiative of gifting new clothes, fire crackers and also hosted a lunch for the inmates of the home from his own pocket. "The home was established four-and-a-half-years ago. This year, it was indeed a special Deepavali for all here," said C. Ramesh, President of Udhavum Ullangal-Tirupattur, which runs the home.  Rajendran presented new clothes and fire crackers to the 36 men and five women inmates of the home, and also to the staff of the home. In fact, this celebration has inspired a number of persons who have come forward to support us with donation. This has encouraged our work too. While one donor presented Rs. 10,000, another has come forward to donate Rs. 25,000," Ramesh said.          From a report in THE HINDU, November 5, 2010

 

FIVE

India's Tata Group has given a whopping 50 million US Dollars (Rs 220 Crore) to the prestigious Harvard Business School (USA) to fund a new academic and residential building on its campus, the largest gift received by the institute from an international donor in its 102-year-old history. The gift comes from Tata Companies, the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and the Tata Education and Development Trust, the philanthropic entities of the Group. It comes days after Anand Mahindra, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Mahindra and Mahindra Group, gave 10 million US Dollars (Rs 44 Crore) to the Humanities Centre at Harvard in honour of his mother Indira Mahindra.                         From INDIAN EXPRESS,  October 15, 2010.

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PANCHAAMRITAM 197

 

Visit us at http://pancha-amritam.blogspot.com/

Vishwa Samvad Kendra, Chennai

PANCHAAMRITAM 197

Pancha is five in Samskritam, Amritam is nectar

Poornima / Kali Yugaabda 5112 / Vikruti Ayppasi 5 (October 22,2010)

ONE

The city of Jalandhar (Punjab, Bharat) is experiencing the "rise of house sparrow", thanks to the missionary zeal and dedication of Prof Sandeep Chahal, of Wadala village, on the outskirts of the city. He is a bird lover. House sparrow has almost disappeared from urban areas and to a large extent from the countryside also because of the extensive use of pesticides in the farm sector. With the replacing of wooden and thatched house roofs by concrete material, domestic sparrows have lost their favourite habitats in residential areas. India is one of the countries, which have witnessed a massive decline in the house sparrow population during the past 30 years. However, Prof Chahal, who teaches English in the local Doaba College, is working hard for the past three years to bring sparrows back in the city life, has come out with a solution to deal with the habitat problem faced by these little chirpy birds. He manufactures wooden nests himself and distributes these free of cost to all those having love for birds. Till date he has distributed about 350 nests made of water and termite-proof wooden material. As eagles, snakes, hawks and cats are the predators, which attack sparrows and their eggs, nests are hanged at such places in a house that these should be beyond their reach, he said. "It is my rough estimate that 4,800 sparrows have been added to the bird population of the city due to my efforts during the past three years," said Prof Chahal. He launched an organisation "Dastak" with the objective of breeding sparrows and saving butterflies.                                        THE TRIBUNE, Jalandhar, September 11, 2010.

TWO

A 35-year-old man's mortal remains became the 1,000th unclaimed body that was given a farewell by Thozhar Trust, a Coimbatore based voluntary organisation that buries or cremates unclaimed bodies lying at the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital. Said Managing Trustee of the organisation P. Shanthakumar: "We have buried or cremated 1,000 bodies in six years. This points at the rising detachment within families. At the funeral procession today [October 7, 2010], we stressed familial bond. Why should someone die unwanted on the roads ?" he said. Members of the Trust, 40 lawyers, autorickshaw drivers, men and women members of the public, Hindu and Muslim organisations and students of Sri Krishna Arts and Science College, Jayendra Saraswati College of Arts and Science, Government Arts College and Bishop Ambrose College took part in a campaign for body and eye donation that was made part of the procession Shanthakumar said. ll sections of society understood and supported the Trust's initiative. On its part, the Trust called upon families not to dump its suffering members and leave them on roads without care.                                       Based on a report in THE HINDU, October 8, 2010.

THREE

On September 12, 1897, 10,000 Afgans attacked the signalling post at Saragarhi (a small village in the border district of Kohat, situated on the Samana Range, in present day Pakistan). In the fierce battle, all the 21 Sikh soldiers of the 36th Sikh Regiment, laid down their lives. They were posthumously awarded the Indian Order of Merit, the highest gallantry award of that time, which an Indian soldier could receive by the hands of the British crown, the corresponding gallantry award being Victoria Cross. This award is equivalent to today's Param Vir Chakra awarded by the President of India. The names of the 21 recipients of the gallantry award are: 1. Havildar Ishar Singh (regimental number    2. Naik Lal Singh   3. Lance Naik Chanda Singh    4. Sepoy Sundar Singh    5. Sepoy Ram Singh    6. Sepoy Uttar Singh    7. Sepoy Sahib Singh    8. Sepoy Hira Singh    9. Sepoy Daya Singh   10. Sepoy Jivan Singh   11. Sepoy Bhola Singh   12. Sepoy Narayan Singh   13. Sepoy Gurmukh Singh   14. Sepoy Jivan Singh 15. Sepoy Gurmukh Singh   16. Sepoy Ram Singh   17. Sepoy Bhagwan Singh   18. Sepoy Bhagwan Singh   19. Sepoy Buta Singh   20. Sepoy Jivan Singh  21. Sepoy Nand Singh. (Patriotic Indians have been pushing for the battle to be taught in India's schools. They want it taught due to the heroism shown by the Indian soldiers to act as inspiration for young children – in the field of bravery. There were articles like these, printed in the Punjab's longest-established newspaper, The Tribune in 1999: "the military action at Saragarhi is taught to students the world over and particularly to students in France." The news was enough to provoke political debate, and the battle has been taught in schools in the Punjab since 2000).  

From WIKIPEDIA (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Saragarhi)

FOUR

At the conclusion of every programme, Swayamsevaks chant Bharat Mata ki Jai. There is no room for caste, creed, provincialism, untouchability in the minds of Swayamsevaks. Hence, at moments of crisis and in times of tragedy, Swayamsevaks do not bother about who the victims are. It would be worthwhile to remember that Swayamsevaks toiled day and night after two airliners crashed into each other, resulting in the death of more than 300 passengers. The accident occurred in Haryana**. Nearly all the dead were Muslims, and Swayamsevaks recovered their bodies, put them into coffins and handed them over to their relatives who were provided with board and lodging. Later the Swayamsevaks were felicitated at the local masjid (mosque). (**On November 12, 1996, Charkhi Dadri, a little village in Haryana's Bhiwani district, 80 kilometres west of Delhi, witnessed the worst air accident in Indian history. A just-airborne Saudi Arabian Airlines flight, bound for Jeddah with 312 people abroad, collided with an incoming Kazakhstan aircraft at 14,000 feet. There were no survivors).

Based on an article by Shri Ram Lal, General Secretary (Organisation) of the BJP in DAILY PIONEER of October 18, 2010.

 FIVE

Impressed by the rare display of discipline and courage by the Bal and Shishu swayamsevaks of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) at the sprawling Yashwant Stadium in the heart of Nagpur on October 10, 2010, famous film and television actor, the `Shaktimaan' fame Shri Mukesh Khanna confessed that the children were fit to become Shaktimaan as they are disciplined. The RSS is the most disciplined organisation in the country, and being a part of it you are getting trained physically, psychologically and intellectually; today the country needs more `Shaktimaans' cutting across the barriers of religion, caste, etc.", he said while addressing the Vijayadashami function of Bal and Shishu swayamsevaks of Nagpur. He called upon the parents of the swayamsevaks to make them stronger so that they can face challenges in future. Earlier nearly 1,000 Bal and Shishu swayamsevaks clad in khaki and white uniform performed physical drill, yoga, patha sanchalan, etc. The special attraction was the band platoon of Bal swayamsevaks. They presented band tunes with perfect harmony and synchronisation.

From a report by Shri Virag Pachpore in ORGANISER, October 24, 2010.

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PANCHAAMRITAM 196

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PANCHAAMRITAM 196

Pancha is five in Samskritam, Amritam is nectar

Amavaasya / Kali Yugaabda 5112 / Vikruti Purattaasi 21 (October 7, 2010)

ONE

Concerned but not overly so about the Ayodhya judgment and its ramifications, Nazneen, a 22-year-old Muslim woman from an unlettered family of weavers (living in Lallapura area of  Varanasi) is translating 'Ramcharit Manas' (Ramayana in HIndi) into Urdu. Said ''Whatever be the high court's verdict, it should be respected by all. But one can't deny that Ayodhya is the birthplace of Lord Ram.'' This bright alumnus of Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth further said, ''So far, I have completed the translation up to Sunderkand. I hope to conclude my work in the next month-and-a-half.'' Nazneen has already translated into Urdu the Hanuman Chalisa by legendary poet Goswami Tulsidas, as also Durga Chalisa or verses in praise of the goddess. She said, ''Even if the verdict comes in favour of Muslims, they should come forward generously to build a temple of Ram in Ayodhya. Islam never permits a mosque at a disputed site. Ram is not for Hindus alone; his character is a source of inspiration for people of all communities.'' Nazneen derives inspiration from writers and scholars of Mughal period like Abdul Qadir Badayuni who had translated Ramayana and Mahabharata in Arabic and Persian during the period of Mughal emperor Akbar. From a report by Shri Binay Singh in THE TIMES OF INDIA, September 30, 2010.

TWO

Martin Buckley, a UK writer, fell in love with India and decided to work as a sub-editor at BUSINESS INDIA magazine in Mumbai, Bharat. During his time in the country, he travelled to many places from Allahabad and Rishikesh to Bodhgaya. But the tale of Rama never left him. So when he returned in 2005, he travelled from Ayodhya to Sri Lanka like Rama, a journey documented in his book, An Indian Odyssey. At the launch of the book at Madras on March 27, 2009, Buckley spoke about the people's relationship with the epic. "I think it's fascinating that this book that was prehistorically written is still worshipped," he says. He adds that Valmiki's version of the story is very real. He is impatient with the smug secularism of certain people in the country. "India's culture is what it is. It's wonderful to live in a place where every minority has a voice, but let's not forget the totality of Indian culture," he states. From a report by Smt Lakshmi Kumaraswami in THE TIMES OF INDIA March 28, 2009

THREE

Shri Rattansi (48) does timber business based in Dharapuram, Erode district (Tamilnadu, Bharat); he manages the Sankara Gosala in the town since 1998. Recently he visited Karur to receive a donation of 40 cows valued at Rs. 3.5 lakhs. He expected Smt Amudha, 52, who came forward with the offer, might own a few hundreds of acres of land. But he found that the lady with no encumbrance lived under a thatched roof in a tiny plot of land. With construction of buildings all around, the grazing patches were gone and she had found it impossible to find enough fodder for her cows. Nor would she accept requests from several persons to part with the cows. Through her astrologer she had learnt of Sankara Gosala that has the blessings of Kanchi Shankaracharya. Her cows were shifted to Dharapuram, bringing the total number of cows at the Gosala to 81. But an anxious Amudha kept on enquiring about the well being of the cows. She also made frequent visits to see for herself. At last, finding it difficult to live away from her cows, she shifted her residence to Dharapurm to be at the service of gomata always.

As told to team PANCHAAMRITAM by Shri U. Sundar and Shri Rattansi.

FOUR

 The place is Gingee, Tiruvannaamalai district (Tamilnadu, Bharat). Parthasarathy, 80 plus, goes from one fruit shop to another, a gunny bag in hand, collecting over-ripe fruits. He gathers broken pieces of biscuits from bakeries on the way. Early in the morning, as he sets out, Smt (65), his wife, places a vessel full of food cooked at home by her. Now, , a staunch devotee of Hanuman, climbs the hill housing the Gingee fort and the Veera Anjneya temple. Once inside, he lets out a loud hoot. In no time, dozens of monkeys descend around him. Unperturbed, Parthasarathy feeds them all sumptuously.  This routine of the devout Parthasarathy-Saraswati duo has been going on for 40 years. On no single day the monkeys missed Parthasarathy and his annadaanam.  Once when Parthasarathy went on a pilgrimage to Kashi, his son Thirumalai (40) performed this duty. Pilgrims to the temple who observe his love for the vanaras look up to him in reverence.   A report in DINAMALAR, September 15, 2010.

FIVE

When we are told that over one lakh ton of plastic waste is dumped every day in India, the enormity of the havoc wrought by plastic on the earth and the atmosphere could be gauged. Upasana, an NGO of Auroville, (Puducherry, Bharat) is making an attempt to stem this rot and calls it `Small Steps'. Small Steps, formed in 2007, tries to promote a responsible alternative to throw-away plastic bags. Upasana has designed a cloth bag and hopes to distribute these bags without cost throughout India, but the main aim is to promote the use of re-usable bags. In India carrying cloth bags is considered old fashioned. Upasana aims to make one crore bags. This in turn creates the possibility of 1,000 jobs in the villages. Women in 14 villages around Auroville have been trained by Small Steps to make the trendy cloth bags. So far 5 lakh bags have been distributed, informs Smt Uma, the project director. It all started with Uma's family performing a puja in a Shiva temple at Devgarh, in Bihar. Devgarh is a temple town and on the tourist map. Being on the tourist map means that tourists leave behind telltale signs of their visit.In this case, heaps of plastic bags. That provided the trigger for this project.        

DINAMALAR, September 29, 2010. (Also http://www.upasana.in/small-steps)

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PANCHAAMRITAM 195

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PANCHAAMRITAM 195
Pancha is five in Samskritam, Amritam is nectar
Poornima / Kali Yugaabda 5112 / Vikruti Purattasi 7 (September 23, 2010)

ONE

In the backdrop of the Allahabad High Court verdict on Ram Janmabhoomi
title suit due to be out on September 28, 2010, just read this anecdote and
mull over it; this formed part of PANCHAAMRITAM 13, that is, 192
PANCHAAMRITAMs ago. Here it is: "This happened in late 1980's. As part of a
nation-wide campaign, Swayamsevaks of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
accompanied by workers of other Hindu organizations were busy in a
labuorers' colony in north Chennai, going door to door, collecting
signatures of the residents in a petition. The petition called upon the
Government of India to permit construction of Ram Mandir precisely at the
Ram Jamnasthan in Ayodhya. The response was naturally overwhelming. This
seemed to have irked a few toughs entrenched in the colony. They kicked up
a quarrel with the volunteers. Peaceful campaign became impossible. The
volunteers withdrew. Shri. Shivaramji (1917-1999), the veteran RSS
Pracharak coordinating service activities of the Sangh in Chennai, came to
know of all this. The younger volunteers, a few among them college
students, were seething with anger. They wanted to avenge the setback.
Shivaramji hinted at a novel kind of retort. Everyone instantly liked it.
Accordingly, the colony witnessed, the very next week, the inauguration of
a free tuition class for students of standard X. The swayamsevaks were the
tuitors. The service was offered through the entire academic year. The
result was telling. Parents (many of them daily wage earners) of quite a
few of the beneficiaries were in tears at the felicitation function (to pat
the students who were successful in the public examination). Thus
Swayamsevaks could endear themselves to the people, neatly rendering the
toughs totally irrelevant in the scene. That is the way Shivaramji went
about bonding the Hindu society for over six decades in many parts of
Tamilnadu (From a report in VIJAYABHARATAM, Tamil weekly)".

TWO

Flood fury has rendered over 20 lakh people homeless in the Northern and
North Eastern states of Bharat this month. NGOs, prominent among them the
Seva Bharati, have begun relief and rehabilitation work. At this juncture,
info on a sort of packaged help offered by a thoughtful youth attracts the
attention: (Courtesy, an email from Shri Vasuvaj, a globe-trotting reader
of PANCHAAMRITAM). Here it is: "Rustam Sengupta's tours to his native
village in West Bengal and other remote corners of India brought him face
to face with a stark reality: People in these villages have no access to
electricity or clean drinking water. After one such trip in August 2009 he
decided to call it quits at an MNC bank in Singapore, where he was earning
a fat salary of US $ 1,20,000 (Rs 54.6 lakhs) per annum. The very next
month Rustam came to India and started `Boond', a not-for-profit
organisation to provide solar light, clean drinking water and pest control
to one million people by the end of 2012. To this end Boond sells something
called the 'Boond Development Kit'. It consists of a solar lamp, water
filter (a 22-litre double candle ceramic water filter with two chambers
separated by a ceramic membrane; advantages: roots out 90 per cent bacteria
and very much suited to pond water) and mosquito net -- at a
highly-subsidised cost. This is how Boond works: You buy the kits online by
making a payment for the needy in some remote Indian village and Boond
delivers it to them with the help of their channel partners, mostly
unemployed village youth, who in turn get a three per cent commission. Just
recently, Boond succeeded in sending 90 kits to families in Ladakh (Jammu &
Kashmir, Bharat) that was devastated by a landslide. "Because of our kits,
90 families that were completely devastated have been able to jumpstart
their lives," he says proudly about his team. 29-year-old Sengupta was born
and brought up in Delhi and did his masters in electrical engineering from
University of California, Irvine, besides an MBA from INSEAD, Singapore".
(Rustam Sengupta's contact details: Mobile: +91 9717 349 377 E-mail:
rustams@boond.net / rustams@gmail.com Website: http://www.boond.net). Based
on a write up by Shri Prasanna D Zore in rediff.com; September 16, 2010.

THREE

An asylum for leprosy patients in Machuvaadi, off Pudhukottai (Tamilnadu,
Bharat). It was the scene of something unique on September 6, 2010. Inmates
queued up and received clothes gifted to them by the kind-hearted members
of the Akhilandeswari Women's Association, Thiruvanaikka, near Tiruchy. A
little after the queue melted away, the volunteers saw an inmate,
accompanied by the asylum official, approaching them. The inmate handed
them a bunch of currency notes and informed them that it was found inside
the pocket of a pair of trousers that he had received just then. The
clothes were the ones that the volunteers collected from the 285 families
living in 25 blocks of the CKVI Flats in Thiruvanaikka. So, they took the
money – Rs 11,000 – back and displayed boards inviting the family that had
inadvertently kept the money in the clothing it had donated. Weeks rolled
by. None responded. Now, volunteers plan to add this amount to the Rs
16,000 that retired employees of Tiruchy BHEL annually offer as Deepavali
gift to two leprosy asylums – one in Machuvaadi and the other at
Panaiyerippattu, nearby. The role of a retired Tamil teacher couple of
Thiruvanaikka deserves special mention. The duo take the trouble of washing
the collected clothings; they mend them if need be and make them normally
presentable.

As told to Team PANCHAAMRITAM by Shri A. Sridharan of Thiruvanaikka

FOUR

Do you live in Bhopal or near-about? Is the gomata (cow) that you are
rearing is sick? Is she too old to yield milk for your family? Don't worry.
Take her to the Obayadullaganj goshala in the forest lands on the outskirts
of the capital of Madhya Pradesh. It is run by Gayatri Parivar volunteers.
They will take care of your gomata for the rest of her life. Important:
they will happily hand over to you a healthy, mulch cow in exchange for
your gomata. They are performing this unique holy service for more than ten
years now. They train willing agriculturists in cow – based farming; that
is, using only organic manure (cow dung), avoiding the use of pesticides
and managing insects with organic preparations, etc.

A report in the Hindi magazine SANGH MARG, Rohtak, August 28, 2010.

FIVE

On the first anniversary of her 17-year-old son's death in a road accident,
Naga Pushpa in Salem cooked an elaborate spread of what Sabarish liked the
most — such as idli-sambar and vendakkai kuzhambu — so that she could
hand-feed Abhinaya, with tears in her eyes. For, Abhinaya, the 23-year-old
guest at the solemn ceremony, was carrying Sabarish's heart, transplanted
at the government general hospital in Chennai in the first-of-its-kind
transplants of multiple organs harvested out of the brain-dead boy. "I came
to visit Sabarish's parents as I am alive today only because of his heart
donated by his generous parents even amid such terrible tragedy of losing
their only son," said Abhinaya, who had come all the way from her
Vennavasal village in Tiruvarur district to be with the parents of the boy
"who gave me the heart to live". "Abhinaya called me amma. I have been
longing for the last one year to hear the word that went missing when
Sabarish died," sobbed Naga Pushpa. A speeding car hit her son, pursuing an
IT diploma, on September 17 last year. When the Salem hospital declared him
as brain dead, the grieving parents took him to the Chennai general
hospital for harvesting his organs, including his heart, kidneys, eyes and
liver. "We wanted to save as many lives as possible even from the death of
our son," recalled Sabarish's father Nandish Kumar, a textile merchant at
Salem.

A report in DECCAN CHRONICLE, Chennai, September 23, 2010

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PANCHAAMRITAM 194

 

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PANCHAAMRITAM 194
Pancha is five in Samskritam, Amritam is nectar
Amaavasya / Kali Yugaabda 5112 / Vikruti Aavani 23 (September 8, 2010)

ONE

Occasionally `Bharat' proves its superiority over `India'. Like this: Smt Lakshmi (30) was in an advanced stage of pregnancy. It was to be her fourth delivery. She developed labour pains. Neighbours rang up 108 and called in the ambulance. She was taken to the Primary Health Centre. The nursing staff there found it to be a Caesarean case and referred her to the nearby town, Palani. Just then Lakshmi's husband and mother in law rushed in and began attending on her. They corrected the infant's position inside the womb and soon Lakshmi gave birth to a child in the normal way. Lakshmi is one of the 87 persons comprising 19 families, of what the statute book describes as `Scheduled Tribes', relocated to the plains near Andipatti (Theni district, Tamilnadu, Bharat),   from the Western Ghats forest by the forest department last year. Every child birth in these Vanavasi families is INVARIABLY a normal delivery and, as a rule, the mother and the new-born are safe. Interestingly, it is the husband and mother in law who perform the delivery, that too at home. A team of government doctors who inspected Lakshmi later on exclaimed that incurring fees in the range of Rs 25,000 and more for Caesarean deliveries could be avoided if the services of a few persons like the relatives of Lakshmi were available to them.

From a report by Shri N. Angubabu in DINAMANI July 28, 2010.

TWO

Exactly 100 PANCHAAMRITAMs back, that is in PANCHAMRITAM 93,  the good work done by Shri Nagarajan, a weaver of Vellakovil (he planted 22,000 trees in spite of ill health) was featured. It was in 2006. Recently, Nagarajan exhibited his good heart; he visited another person doing similar eco-seva and admired him by accompanying a journalist who was on his way to meet that person. The `another person' is Shri Ayyasami, 74, of Yezhoor, off Thookanaickenpalayam (Erode district, Tamilndu, Bharat); this agriculturist has planted over 10, 000 trees along a 3 mile stretch near his village.  Even while tending cattle as a lad, he had processed neem seeds in a pool on the outskirts of his village where excess water is collected; later on he sowed them. His father, who was a tree lover, is the great inspiration for Ayyasami. Based on a report by Shri  M.S. Satyanathan in DINAMALAR VAARAMALAR, September 5, 2010.

THREE

Ashutosh Mukherjee (1864 - 1924), the legendary educationist of Bengal keenly observed a particular young scientist, in fact, an Assistant Accountant General at the Indian Finance Department, Calcutta. This man spent several hours in a science laboratory, immersed in research, before and after his office hours every day. Ashutosh Mukherjee asked this young scientist whether he would take up professorship in physics department in the Calcutta University. Because the job measured up to his thirst for knowledge, he readily agreed. Soon he made progress admirably. Ashutosh Mukherjee was happy and advised him to go to England for acquiring further knowledge. The young man replied: "What is special about going abroad? I shall work in this land only. Shall acquire more knowledge here itself - without going to a foreign country. And I shall stun the world with my achievement." He did. Working with very ordinary instruments, he came up with a stunning achievement. He won the Nobel Prize too, for that in 1930. The name of such a great son of Bharatmata is (Sir) C.V.Raman (1888 - 1970).

A write up by Shri Ramanuja Naik in SAMBHASHANA SANDESHAH, Samskrit monthly, Bengaluru – 560 085, Septmber 2010.        

FOUR

Meet Shri Harish Chandra, 22. He has passed the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) examination this year. His mother Gita Devi works as a domestic help and his father is a daily wages labourer. They live in Otters Line, a hutment near Kingsway Camp, Delhi, Bharat. It is the hard work that Harish had put in all along which brought about this glory. Because of poverty Harish was about to drop out of school when he reached Class 7. But he did not. He worked in a grocery to earn money needed to continue his studies. Once he cleared Class 11, he began taking tuition for kids around. This way, he completed his Post Graduation. The Principal of his college advised him to prepare for the IAS. Harish, as is his practice, put his entire energy in the competitive exam and was selected for IAS in the very first attempt. His dream came true. Of course, thanks to hard work. He says his inspiration was Shri Govind Jaisawal, son of a rickshawman. Govind had, in a similar manner, cleared the IAS in 2006.   PATHEYA KANN, Hindi magazine, Jaipur,  August 16, 2010 / IBN Live

FIVE

Thirty five undergraduate students from seven engineering colleges, four in Bangalore and three in Hyderabad, have done something that would have been unthinkable even a few years ago. One of the five satellites carried by the PSLV-C15 launched on July 12, 2010, is a Pico satellite named `Studsat', which weighs less than 1.5 Kg. A Pico sat is a miniaturized artificial satellite. This is the first time in India that a Pico sat with an imaging camera has been designed, fabricated and built by students, under the guidance of scientists from the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). The idea behind this exercise was to provide students an opportunity to understand the mission aspects and gain hands-on experience in building a work satellite. Satellites launches by ISRO have always attracted public attention. But it was the Chandrayaan-1 launch in October 2008 that fired the imagination of students. The outcome was an impressive increase in the number of young men and women showing interest in space research. The decision to sacrifice precious payload to accommodate the demonstration satellites shows that ISRO is playing for the future. With Chandrayaan-2 and human space flight in prospect, it is clear that rising India's future is very bright. From an editorial in ANDAMAN WAVE, English fortnightly, Port Blair, July 31, 2010.

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Tuesday, August 24, 2010

PANCHAAMRITAM 193

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PANCHAAMRITAM 193

Pancha is five in Samskritam, Amritam is nectar

Poornima / Kali Yugaabda 5112 / Vikruti Aavani 8 (August 24, 2010)

ONE

Hundreds of people killed and thousands are missing and numerous injured in worst ever cloud burst and flash floods in Leh which caused unprecedented destruction in the entire district in general and Leh town (Jammu-Kashmir, Bharat) in particular. In adverse conditions, Volunteers of Sewa Bharati and RSS have started all-out rescue and relief operations. In Jammu, `Sewa Bharati Jammu and Kashmir' organised an emergency meeting in which social workers of many organizations attended the meeting to chalk out the strategy to provide immediate relief to the victims of Natural Disaster in Leh. A trust under the Name Ladhak Aapdha Sahayata Samiti (LASS) has been formed to assist the victims and affected families in Leh. Brig. (Retd.) Suchet Singh has been elected President of this trust. Dr. Kuldeep Gupta will work as secretary and Sh. Abay Pargal will be the treasure of this trust. As an immediate measure, some cash donations were immediately transferred from Jammu to the group of Swayamsevaks working in Leh. They have purchased whatever relief material they can get from nearby local markets and started distributing them. According to latest report, a relief package of 2000 blankets, a set of utensils for 500 families, 2000 clothes and 500 shoes is on the way (as on August 12, 2010). LASS has opened an account in Punjab National Bank for this purpose having A/c No. 1948000101057923. LASS requests people to donate liberally for the flood Victims of Leh.          From www.rss.org

TWO

Six-year-old Radhika ``completely paralysed in an accident while playing has managed to come out of coma in less than two months, thanks to a steady dose of enchanting music. ``I couldn't believe it,'' exclaims Dr Girija Mohan, who heads the paediatrics department at Government Medical College Hospital, Alappuzha (Kerala, Bharat). "Besides the medicines, we played melodious songs set in Carnatic music style including her favourite song on Krishna from a Malayalam film — over a headphone throughout the day for a week. Miraculously, she started responding to it and then we shifted to an external speaker by her bedside in the ICU. The kid now can move with the help of a walker and responds to queries,'' said Dr Mohan. The kid's mother Manju is overjoyed. ``I had no hope but she now tries to recite those songs which she was made to listen to,'' she said fighting to hold back tears. Her father Raju, a fish monger, who was finding it hard to foot the bills is now hopeful. From a report by Shri Ananthakrishnan G, THE TIMES OF INDIA, August 1, 2010.

THREE

On September 23, 2009, P. Manimaran was on his way to Tiruvannamalai in a bus. Sitting next to a window, the 24-year-old, who deals with knitwear surplus and rejects, was a witness to the humiliation meted out to a thirsty, elderly woman with leprosy. The bus had then stopped at Uthangarai. "People refused to give water," he recalls. "The woman, left with no option, dragged herself to the nearby drainage to quench her thirst."  Manimaran rushed out of the bus, pushed her hand away before she could sip the sewage. He provided her with water bottles, food packets and Rs. 150. The event happened a month after he had registered `World People Service Centre' as a trust to formalise his social service activities. Two days later, on his return trip, the class IX drop out would search Uthangarai and its neighbourhood for three hours for the woman to handover eatables, water, sari and bed sheet and then take her to the Government Hospital, Tiruvannamalai, for treatment. The sexagenarian would be the first of his beneficiaries. He now cares for around 40 persons with leprosy by providing medicines, clothes, rice and other essential items. "Every fortnight I ensure my presence in Tiruvannamalai to take care of the 40-odd people, says Manimaran, who has been working since he was 12. He does not make much but around 80 per cent of what he earns goes for the needy. He hails from Thalayampallam village, Tiruvannamalai district, and has two siblings. He can be reached at 99656-56274. K. Ramalingam, Deputy Director of Medical Services, Tiruvannamalai, says Manimaran often visits persons with leprosy at the GH and takes care of most of their material needs.

From a report in THE HINDU, July 22, 2010.

FOUR

As `Very Very Special' walked to the crease with India tottering at 62 for four on the last day of the third Test and still needing close to 200 runs for a win, very few Sri Lankan cricketers would have guessed what was in store for them. Post-lunch it was VVS Laxman all the way after Sachin returned to the pavilion (He scored 103 and faced 149 balls). Humble as always, he said post-match that it was more satisfying to him that his knock helped India win the Test and square the series. After all, Laxman, the most underrated of the great Indian quartet of Sac­hin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and VVS himself, has always lived up to the challenge when India needed him the most. But what makes La­xman come good when confronted with a crisis? From childhood, he has been reading Bhagavad Gita and the Sai Charita, apart from listening to spiritual music. "It helps me a lot particularly while playing under pressure," he said. From a report by Shri N. Jagannath Das in THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS,  August 8, 2010

FIVE

Western India's first daily Sanskrit newspaper 'Sanskrit Vartaman Patram' was launched by Gujarat Assembly Speaker Shri Ashok Bhatt on July 25, 2010 amidst a huge gathering of dignitaries and Sanskrit students from M S University and Somnath Sanskrit University. Speaking on the occasion, Bhatt lauded the efforts of the editorial board and said their objective should be to cater to everyone in the society including scholars who desire to read newspaper in the language they love. The newspaper, which has already hit the stands, caters to Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, and Union Territory of Diu, Daman and Dadra Nagar Haveli. Priced at Rs 1.50, the four-page daily will be published from Vadodara  and cover local, national and international news and the annual subscription is Rs 500, Editor Praful Purohit said. When the team got a good response to the pilot copy of this newspaper, they decided to launch it. For enabling its readers to understand the language, the paper will include glossary of Sanskrit words translated in Gujarati, Hindi, English and other languages. Chief Minister Narendra Modi in a message said such efforts should be made to revive the glory of the world's oldest language and further it.                            PTI / ibnlive.in.com July 26, 2010

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Monday, August 9, 2010

PANCHAAMRITAM 192

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PANCHAAMRITAM 192

Pancha is five in Samskritam, Amritam is nectar

Amavaasya / Kali Yugaabda 5112 / Vikruti Aadi 24 (August 9, 2010)

 THIS ISSUE OF PANCHAAMRITAM FOCUSSES ON THE QUALITY CONTRIBUTION OF RSS TO THE NATION, IN THE BACKGROUND OF RECENT ATTEMPTS TO MALIGN ITS FAIR NAME BY POWERS THAT BE.  -- Moderator

ONE

Dr Anil Batra got his MBBS and MD degrees from the Maulana Azad Medical College in New Delhi. His mother dreamt of her only son setting up a clinic and working towards a prosperous future; but Dr Batra set a condition for marriage: he would tie the knot with a girl who was willing to serve tribals in Orissa. He met his match and the couple opened a dispensary in a tribal pocket in that state. Dr Batra would often seek financial assistance from his rich Delhi friends for his free medicare service. Dr Vishwamitra was born after four sisters. His family had come from Pakistan as refugees and his mother struggled to educate them. But after becoming a doctor, Vishwamitra settled in a remote Meghalaya village, Laikor. He set up a medical centre, married a Khasi girl and dedicated himself to social service. In neighbouring villages, they are now known as the doctor couple. Girish, Mangesh and Sailesh are three brothers, post-graduates in computer-science, physics and arts. All three were meritorious students. Their father is a mechanical engineer at the Benaras Hindu University. Well-to-do family. Educated. The brothers could have led well-settled lives that most people yearn for, but became social workers instead. Their mother has now adjusted to the reality and proudly declares, `My sons are RSS pracharaks'.  Girish, Mangesh, Anil Batra and Vishwamitra are not alone in their struggle. They are part of thousands, who include a large number of educated women working in places like Arunachal, Tripura, etc. They are charged with a passion to make India the most prosperous, powerful and respected country in the world.               Writes Shri Tarun Vijay in THE PIONEER, March 12, 2000

 TWO

Very few of us know that a very big part of our country (Bharat) was liberated from the clutches of Portuguese by Swayamsevaks of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh on August 2, 1954. The Portuguese army took to heels on that day. Though the Britishers left India August 15, 1947 and the French quit India along with the Britishers, giving independence to Puducherry, Karikkal and Chandranagar, the Portuguese continued to keep Goa, Dadra, Nagar Haveli, Daman and Dieu under their control. These territories of our motherland were liberated in a quick operation led by Sangh Pracharak Kushabhau Wakankar. On 31 July, 1954. 116 Swayamsevaks reached Pune railway station during the night; they reached Silvasssa (Capital of Dadra & Nagar Haveli) via Mumbai (Bombay). They formed little groups and dispersed into the town. Quickly they brought the police station, the court, the jail and the administrative building under their control.  They took the local administrator Findalgo into their custody. The Portuguese army, terrified by this sudden action, laid down arms, ending centuries of Portugese  domination that day. From PATHIK SANDESH, Hindi Monthly from Jalandhar, August 2010.  

THREE

Braving the fury of July 5 floods in Haryana, the RSS volunteers penetrated into inaccessible and totally submerged areas to provide affected people with relief material in the form of drinking water, food packets, medicines, etc. and shifted them to relief camps to provide them temporary shelter till the flood water receded. Fired by humanitarian zeal, they spared no effort to provide them succour to restore normal life. Their role was laudable and commendable by all standards. Everybody has praised the dedication and devotion of the volunteers. The main centre of the relief remained Gita Rangam Sangh Karyalaya, Kurukshetra. The volunteers not only cooked food for the victims, but also visited different villages to collect essentials for the flood victims. A report by Dr Ganesh Datt Vats in ORGANISER, August 08, 2010

FOUR

June 23, 1955 was a red-letter day in the life of Jagannath Rao Joshi (1920-1991). For, it was on this day - his 35th birthday - he led thousands of RSS and Jana Sangh workers to Goa in order liberate that coastal city from the clutches of the Portugese. Though India had become free from the British in 1947, Goa was still ruled by the Portugese. It became necessary on the part of the RSS and Jana Sangh to launch Liberate Goa movement as the Congress government headed by Prime Minister Nehru did not thought of any action. Jagannatha Rao Joshi was arrested by the Portugese Army and was taken to Fort Aguada prison because Jagannatha Rao Joshi had entered Goa without a permit - as then required. It was almost akin to Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee entering Kashmir without a permit and imprisoned in Srinagar Central Prison. Joshi was asked by the judge why he had come to Goa without a permit. Jagannatha Rao Joshi roared: "I have come to Goa to ask why you (Portugese) have come to Goa. Goa is a part of my motherland and I have right to go to any part of my motherland." This statement was similar to what Dr Mukherjee told Sheikh Abdullah - that Kashmir was an integral part of Mother Bharat and he had right to go any part of Bharat. From an article by Shri Ramachandra Gowda (Minister, Karnataka State Government) in ORGANISER, August 1, 2010

FIVE

SARASWATI Shishu Vidya Mandir schools run in Odisha (Orissa ) by Shiksha Vikas Samiti, affiliated to Vidya Bharati, continued to perform exceptionally well in the Matriculation Examinations in the State. The Shishu Mandir students excelled in the State High School Certificate Examinations this year by notching up 56 ranks in the top 100 list, including the top five positions. Anupam Jena, a student of Cuttack Shishu Mandir, topped the exams in the State. According to information received from Shiksha Vikas Samiti, students of 158 Saraswati Shishu Mandir schools appeared in the Board examinations. The Vidya Bharati schools recorded pass percentage of 98.58 which is much higher than the overall pass percentage of the State. This year the overall pass percentage of the State is 71.74. Out of 158 schools, 102 schools recorded cent per cent result. There were two schools where all the students got first class. Out of 7,911 Vidya Mandir students who appeared in the examinations, 5,635 students got first class. The percentage of students getting first class is 71.23. The Shiksha Vikas Samiti organised a function, Medhabi Abhinandan 2010, at Rabindra Mandap in Bhubaneswar to felicitate 56 students who secured place in the top hundred list. Addressing the function, Education Minister of the State Shri Pratap Jena, praised the role of the Shiksha Vikas Samiti for providing quality education to the students of the State. "The government schools have to learn many things from the Shishu Mandirs," he added.           From a report by Shri Samanwaya Nanda in ORGANISER,  JULY 18, 2010

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Monday, July 26, 2010

PANCHAAMRITAM 191

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Vishwa Samvad Kendra, Chennai

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PANCHAAMRITAM 191

Pancha is five in Samskritam, Amritam is nectar

Poornima / Kali Yugaabda 5112 / Vikruti Aadi 27 (July 25, 2010)

ONE

Ever heard of a village without TASMAC, (the government shop selling liquor) in Tamilnadu where every other street sports a TASMAC shop name board? In Aalavillampatti, Kallal Mathakutti Highways, Sivagangai District (Tamilnadu, Bharat), no one drinks liquor. Even outsiders who come to village do obey this village code. This is because of an incident and the promise made thereafter. The story goes like this. Centuries back, when a war was going on in Karnataka, people at the bank of river Kaveri wanted to come and settle in Tamilnadu. While trying to cross the river, flood occurred suddenly and they were not able to cross the river. On prayer, Ponnazhagi Devata blessed the villagers by putting up a bridge made up of Vanni tree. Before putting up the bridge she took a promise that nobody should consume liquor. Having been rescued by the Devata from danger, they settled in Aalavillampatti. They kept the promise, etched the words in metal "Liquor Prohibited' in the village'. If a stranger inadvertently consumes liquor, he too is punished and he pays the fine. Villagers of Aalavillampatti have also decided not to take or give dowry during marriages.

TWO

Nine years back, Shri S.S. Narayanan, a retired Assistant Executive Engineer of Madras Port Trust, found that Rs. 40,000 had accrued in his father Sankaranarayanan's savings bank account, being the monthly Railway pension over the years. As all the sons and daughters of retired Station Master Sankaranaraynan were leading contended lives, and were looking after their parents Sankaranaraynan – Rukmini well, the father advised Narayanan, to use the amount in such away to benefit the needy in the society. Within a week, Narayanan and his siblings together added Rs 10,000 to it and donated the amount to Madhava Seva Samiti, which identified meritorious school going children of daily wage earners in Chetput, Chennai (Tamilnadu, Bharat); for the last eight years, the interest proceeds of the amount is awarded to nine such children in memory of Sankaranaraynan – Rukmini at functions organisd by Seva Bharati. This year the function saw two college students receiving similar awards, thanks to the thoughtful donation by Shri Sundar Nathan, a software professional working on E – learning projects in the US. He has instituted , on the advise of his mother Smt Saroja, a growing corpus in memory of his father late B.Viswanathan, a top business executive in his lifetime. Viswanathan had served Hindu society as RSS Karyawah (secretary) of Chennai during 1970s. Obviously, the Narayanan family's idea of serving the needy provided inspiration to the Sundar family to act.                                                As told to TEAM PANCHAAMRITAM  

THREE

Vanshidhar project high school under Bhandra block at the Lohardaga-Ranchi road (Jharkhand, Bharat), comprises more than 700 girls in 6^th to 10^th standard. The double-storied school building earlier functioned from six rooms, including the office. ''Now it has nine rooms with three of them constructed with the guru dakshina of our students,'' said Meera Bakhla, principal of the school. ''Earlier we used to merge two or three sections to run classes in a single room but thanks to our students and their guardians who came forward for the noble cause,'' Meera  Bakhla said. ''Parents of majority of girls are daily wage earners but their eagerness towards their children's education surprises us,'' said Muneshwar Mahto, Mathematics teacher of the school. More than 80 per cent of the students passed the Matriculation examination conducted by the Jharkhand Academic Council this year. It is to be noted that the district is infested by Naxal terrorism involving blasting of school buildings.

Based on a UNI report and DINAMALAR, July 19, 2010

FOUR

Shri Parasuraman, 30, is an autorickshaw driver of Thanneerkulam in Tiruvallur district (Tamilnadu, Bharat). On July 17, 2010 he found a handbag containing Rs 15,000 and an ATM card in his auto. He handed it over to the Tiruvallur town police. The same day, a complaint was lodged at Shevapet police station by schoolteacher Yashoda saying that she had misplaced her handbag in an auto. On verification, her bag was returned to her by the Tiruvallur police including Inspector Michel Irudayaraj, SI Lakshmipati and SI Padmashree, who appreciated Parasuraman's honesty.

DINAMALAR, July 19, 2010

FIVE

An anti-cancer drug extracted from cow urine and developed by Go Vigyan Anusandhan Kendra, an affiliate of the RSS has got a third US patent for its anti-genotoxicity properties. The same extract, developed by RSS backed Go Vigyan Anusandhan Kendra, had earlier got the US patent as a bio- enhancer with antibiotics and anti-cancer drugs. Research for the drug, whose brand name is 'Kamdhenu Ark', was carried out jointly by the Kendra and National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Tapan Chakraborty, Acting Director of NEERI, said while giving details about the patent received recently. The research found that Re-distilled Cow Urine Distillate (RCUD) was useful for protecting and repairing DNA from oxidative damage, Chakraborty and Sunil Mansinghka of the Kendra said.. Oxidative DNA damage is a leading cause of ageing, cancer and other diseases. RCUD works against genotoxicity, a harmful action on a cell's genetic material, they said, adding that research has strengthened the efficacy of Kamdhenu Ark as an anti-cancer drug. More details on cow related products of the Kendra can be found at:         http://www.govigyan.com/medicalproducts.htm

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