PANCHAAMRITAM 217

Vishwa Samvad Kendra, Chennai

PANCHAAMRITAM 217

Pancha is five in Samskritam, Amritam is nectar

Poornima/ Kali Yugaabda 5113 / Kara Aadi 28 (August 13, 2011)

ONE

"I deem it as a real honor and privilege that I am invited to preside over this highly venerated function, Guru Pooja. You know from my name that I am a Christian. I was born in that and I practice that religion. I am a Church-going Christian. But my advantage is that I learnt many things about the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. I developed an admiration for this disciplined core of this country as early as 1979 when I was posted as Additional District Judge of Calicut. The Principal District Judge was Mr. A.R.Sreenivasan. Anyone who knew him will agree that his honesty was hundred percent, his integrity was transparent, his scholarship was unparalleled and his commitment to the country was unquestionable. Above all, the discipline he followed in his life was also very admirable. On his retirement, I took over as the Principal District Judge. But immediately Mr. A.R.Sreenivasan became a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. We used to communicate and converse many things. That occasion gave me the advantage of jettisoning many things which the smearing and simmering propaganda made by interested persons outside about the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. Such notions could be eliminated from my mind. I became a real admirer of this organization".

Shri K.T.Thomas, former Judge of  the  Supreme Court of India, while presiding over the RSS Guru  Pooja function at Kochi, Kerala, on August 1, 2011. (www.haindavakeralam.com)

TWO

Saraswati Shishu Vidya Mandir schools run by the Shiksha Vikas Samiti, a wing of Vidya Bharati, in Odisha (Orissa, Bharat) 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 52 ranks in the top 100 list, including top position. Sarthak Pradhan, a student of Bolangir Shishu Mandir topped the exams in the State. The Vidya Bharati schools recorded pass percentage of 98.13 which is much higher than the overall pass percentage of the State, which is 66.75 per cent. Out of 174 Vidya Mandir schools, 94 schools recorded cent per cent result. Addressing a function to felicitate toppers ,School and Mass Education Secretary Smt Aparajita Sarangi lauded the efforts by Shiksha Vikas Samiti and said Saraswati Shishu Mandirs have made great contribution in imparting quality education in the State. A report by Shri Samanwaya Nanda in ORGANISER, July 24, 2011.

THREE

"It was while working in a branch of a bank in Trivandrum (Kerala, Bharat) that I met Shri Kolappan, to whom the bank had loaned Rs 5,000 to buy a bullock-cart. On the day we gave him the loan, I told him to be regular in repaying Rs 200 every month. He looked at me for some time and then said: "Sir, even if my children or I have to starve, I will remit Rs 200 every month on this day." It struck me as coming from the depths of his heart. A month later Kolappan came to the bank Rs 200. This happened every month and each time he would approach my table after having deposited the amount, show the counterfoil and wait for my acknowledgement before slowly shuffling out. After about a year or so, Kolappan came to the bank with his wife; he asked whether the bank could give a loan to her for buying a cow. I had no apprehension of the repayment. I was proved right. Kolappan came to the bank every month But about an year later, as I was in my new branch which was in the same city, Kolappan walked in one day and handed over to me a marriage invitation of his elder daughter. He now owned three bullock-carts and his wife's dairy farm had six cows. He had fixed his daughter's alliance with a man of means as the family was in a comfortable financial position. He thanked me for the initial loan. It was then that I realised that each one of us can become an instrument of change, even if it is in a small way. That small deed can make a large difference to the lives of many, as in the case of Kolappan. Based on a `first person account' by Shri K Shankar in THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS, July 22, 2011.

FOUR

India is the fifth most powerful country in the world, says the latest national security index (NSI) designed by the country's foremost security and economic experts. A part of India's National Security Annual Review 2010, the NSI 2010 placed India fifth in the hierarchy of top 50 nations identified on the basis of their GDP. According to Foundation for National Security Research director Satish Kumar, who edited the national security review, the NSI is based on an assessment of defence capability, economic strength, effective population, technological capability and energy security of the top 50 countries. The US is at the top of the list on the basis of these criteria followed by China, Japan and Russia. A report by Shri Sachin Parashar,  THE TIMES OF INDIA, April 13, 2011.

FIVE

The transformed face of Idkidu village in Dakshin Kannada district (Karnataka, Bharat) indicates the gravity of the efforts which RSS karyakartas put in for its development. Idkidu has now become an ideal village. RSS karyakarta Shri K S Vishwanath vowed to transform the face of Idkidu village. The development work was initiated in 1989, the birth centenary year of Adya Sarsanghchalak Dr Hedgewar (RSS Founder). Four RSS shakhas run in village. Villagers come together to celebrate all the major festivals. Surya High School has become a value education centre. Students create awareness about avoiding use of plastic in the surrounding locality. One who collects more than 10 kg plastic waste is awarded with free stationery. There are three co-operative milk schemes in Idkidu village which is the highest milk producer in the district. Financial status of the village has now elevated that has resulted in improvement in the nourishment of children. Gobar gas plants have been set up in 100 houses because of which the expenses on LPG have been saved and firewood consumption is also lowered. From the new wewbsite  www.newsbharati.com.

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