Panchaamritam

PANCHAAMRITAM 229

2012-02-10T06:01:00.001-08:00

Vishwa Samvad Kendra, Chennai

PANCHAAMRITAM 229

Pancha is five in Samskritam, Amritam is nectar

Poornima / Kali Yugaabda 5113 / Kara Thai 24 (February 2012)

ONE

A research project of the IIT-Madras promises clean drinking water at an affordable price to the poor. Researchers - Ivo Romauld, and C Ramprasad, - say their solution is so simple that every household can build its own unit. There are layers of blue metal (jalli stones), charcoal and sand inside a simple plastic barrel. A cheap plastic mesh takes out anything from particulate matter to dissolved substances to pathogens from the water and deliver water that is up to 98 percent pure, says Romauld. Though it may look simple, the project has taken over two years to perfect. The researchers say the water filter costs about Rs 700 to Rs 800 to make. "We have been trying the filter with slum dwellers at the Mylai Balaji Nagar near Pallikarani near Chennai (Tamilnadu, Bharat), who have no water and end up drinking unprocessed water from the lake. We have given residents of that locality 60 of these units at a highly subsidised rate. They can also make these if they want to, says Ramprasad. The research team has also developed a Rapid Water Testing Kit, which is equipped to run tests across 14 parameters for more than 50 samples. This kit costs less than Rs 4,000 a unit and has been distributed widely across Krishnagiri District. Based on a report by Shri Shyam Balasubramanian in THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS, February 8, 2012.

TWO

Om Prakash Yadav (11) pulled children out of a burning van He received burn injuries on his face, back and arms; he is still recuperating, hasn't received proper medical treatment and lost one year of school. But ask him would he put his life in danger once again if caught in a similar situation? 'Everytime,' Om Prakash says. The boy, a Class VII student and son of a Uttar Pradesh (Bharat) farmer, pulled out several of his friends alive out of a burning van, caring little about his own safety. On September 4, 2010, Om Prakash was going to school along with other students in a Maruti van. All of a sudden, the van caught fire because of a short circuit in the gas kit. The driver immediately opened his door and fled. But not Om Prakash. He broke open the van door and pulled out the others, caring little about the flames that had spread to his face, back and arms. He saved eight children. For his bravery, he has won the Sanjay Chopra Award. (This year (2012), 24 children - 8 girls and 16 boys – received the National Bravery Awards on the occasion of Republic Day. Om Prakash Yadav is one aming them). www.dailymail.co.uk

THREE

Driver K Shankar (29) and conductor S Mohan Kumar of Metropolitan Transport Corporation bus number 557, that plies between Broadway and Gummidipoondi (Tamilnadu, Bharat), found an abandoned bag next to the driver's seat. The two MTC crew opened the bag to find more than Rs 1 lakh in cash and receipts for Rs 1.5 lakh. They immediately handed it over to police officials at the Gummidipoondi SIPCOT police station. Bhoopalan (54), an employee working with a lorry booking office at Madhavaram bypass road, later approached the police and claimed the bag. Police said the 54-year-old man, who had worked throughout the night to get company orders, had boarded the bus. He dozed off in the bus and got down in the bus stop, leaving behind his bag in the vehicle. After realising that he had left his bag behind, he had taken another bus to follow the vehicle in which he had left his bag. Based on a report in THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS, February 4, 2012

FOUR

Traffic head constable Shri K Ravi (38) - attached to Aminjikarai traffic police wing (Tamilnadu, Bharat), had just reported for duty at 6 am on January 31 when local residents rushed to him telling him that a man had slipped and fallen into the Cooum river near the `Skywalk' bridge and was shouting for help. On arriving at the spot, Ravi found a man sinking fast into the muddy water. Only his eyes and teeth were visible. Realising that he too would sink if he stepped into the water, Ravi picked up a Casuarina log lying nearby and extended it to the drowning man. But the fall had left the man with a fractured hand and hip. Ravi then attached a hook to one end of the log and tugged at the man's shirt. and slowly pulled him out of the water. But half way, the man's clothes were in tatters. Divesting him of his shirt and lungi, the rescue team then placed him on gunny cloth and carried him to the bank. Asking the local women for water, Ravi washed him, but not well enough it appears. The paramedics of `108' emergency services, summoned by him, refused to transport the victim to the hospital as he was dirty. So he fetched more water and washed him again and the locals gave him clothes to wear. The victim then identified himself as Prabhu, a mason of Vyasarpadi. He claimed that he had been walking near the bridge and slipped and fell into the river because of poor visibility due to foggy conditions. Mission accomplished, Ravi found his pristine white uniform and arms covered with mud, but the locals did not seem to mind, as they vied with each other to shake hands with him. Based on a report by Smt R Guhambika in THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS, February 1, 2012.

FIVE

Indian cricket team's opening batsman Shri Gautam Gambhir (Delhi, Bharat) has pledged to donate his body to a private hospital in Delhi through 'Gift a Life' initiative supported by Apollo Transplant Institutes. "I hereby pledge to donate my kidney, heart, liver, pancreas, small bowel, eyes, lungs and tissues after my death," Gambir said at the launch of an organ donation website - www.giftalife.org supported by Apollo Hospital on November 11, 2011. Gambhir also pointed out that having donated the organs, one feels very happy and the entire family will be happy for being a part of this noble cause. The talented opener, who recently entered wedlock, is on a mission to create awareness about donating organs, to his family members and fellow cricketers and how the deed is going to help people in future. Compared to other nations, India has the lowest donation rate of 0.1 per million population pointing out the desperate need for creating awareness in India. www.thatscricket.com/news/2011/11/12/gambhir-first-cricketer-to-donate-his-organs.html

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PANCHAAMRITAM 228

2012-01-24T22:03:00.001-08:00

Vishwa Samvad Kendra, Chennai

PANCHAAMRITAM 228

Pancha is five in Samskritam, Amritam is nectar

Amavaasya / Kali Yugaabda 5113 / Kara Thai 8 (January 22, 2012)

ONE

This year (2012), 24 children - 8 girls and 16 boys – received the National Bravery Awards. Five awards have been given posthumously. This issue of PANCHAAMRITAM presents two of the bravehearts – G. Parameswaran, a 14 year old boy of Tamilnadu and Prasannta Shandilya, the girl from Odisha. (The posthumous awardees were: Adithya Gopal from Arunachal Pradesh, Kapil Negi from Uttarakhand, Saudhita Barman from West Bengal, Lovely Verma from Uttar Pradesh and C Lalduhawma from Mizoram).

TWO

G. Parameswaran is a 14 year old boy studying in standard IX in Government Higher Secondary School at Yelagiri village in Dharmapuri district. His elder brother G. Sivakumar is a Casual Labourer working in Titan Industries at Hosur. Parameswaran's father Govindan is a daily wage earner; his mother G. Lakshmi is a home maker. Parameswaran saved three girl children from the Nagavathy Dam river in Aragasanahalli village, 33 km from Dharmapuri town on September 18, 2010. The boy had gone to take bath in the Nagavathy Dam river along with five other girl students of Aragasanahalli Panchayat Union Middle School. A. Saranya, M. Bhuvaneswari and V. Aarthi are the three saved by him from drowning. He pulled them out by their hair. Though the boy did not know swimming, he had jumped into the river and rescued the three children risking his life. Three days later, the then Superintendent of Police R. Sudhakar complimented the boy with cash award of Rs. 1000 and said that he would recommend his name for the National Bravery Award. He received the Award from the Prime Minister on the eve of 2012 Republic Day. THE HINDU, January 19, 2012.

THREE

Prasannta Shandilya, the girl from Odisha, fought off robbers who attacked her parents. The incident took place on April 12, 2011. After breaking into their bedroom, the five men started beating up her parents with an iron rod. They also attacked her father with a sharp weapon. Prasannata woke up hearing his father's screams. She saw her father bleeding profusely and mother writhing in pain. But without losing composure, she tiptoed into the kitchen. 'I couldn't watch my parents in pain. I saw the two jars containing turmeric and chill powder. 'I didn't know which was what, so I mixed both and rushed back to the bedroom. I threw the powder in the eyes of three of the intruders,' she says. Panic-stricken, the miscreants fled. Studying in Class VI, the braveheart wants to become an IPS officer. She received the national Bravery Award from the Prime Minister on the eve of 2012 Republic Day. www.dailymail.co.uk

FOUR

About 10 kms from Salem (Tamilnadu, Bharat) lies village T. Perumalpalayam. Two lakes to its east and west are the sources of irrigation for this agrarian village. Normally the one to the west gets filled up during the monsoon. But the other lake remains dry as there is no canal linking it with the western lake. Neither the Panchayat nor the government officials showed any inclination to solve the problem. So, the villagers got together, formed a group and raised funds to the tune of Rs. 1.5 lakhs. They got a canal dug, linking the two lakes. Following this, whenever the western lake filled up, the eastern lake received water through the canal. That resulted in 350 additional acres of agricultural lands getting irrigation facility. As told to team PANCHAAMRITAM by Shri Bhaskar of Salem.

FIVE

Meet Shri Visvanathan, 74, a retired government official residing in Mahakavi Bharati Nagar near Vyasarpadi (Tamilnadu, Bharat). At daybreak on January 22, 2012, he took a stroll along a road in his locality. All on a sudden, someone pounced upon him; as he lost his balance, the intruder snatched his gold chain and tried to speed away. Visvanathan gave a hot chase and quickly overpowered the thief. Then he handed over the offender, who turned out to be a woman, to the police station. All the residents of the locality woke up that day to witness in awe the heroic deed of Visvanathan, a Swayamsevak. As told to team PANCHAAMRITAM by Shri Sendhil, Sangh Pracharak, Chennai.

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PANCHAAMRITAM 227

2012-01-10T23:23:00.001-08:00

Vishwa Samvad Kendra, Chennai

PANCHAAMRITAM 227

Pancha is five in Samskritam, Amritam is nectar

Poornima / Kali Yugaabda 5113 / Kara Margazhi 23 (January 8, 2012)

ONE

For the 58-year old V. Velusamy, president of Dasanaickenpatti village panchayat near Salem (Tamilnadu, Bharat), it is a routine working in his tea stall and attending to the president's works. This, he has been doing since 2006 as he got elected for a second term as president for the Village Panchayat. He is the `parotta' master for his tiny tea shop on a 400 sq.ft. premises in his village. His wife, a former village president (during 1996-2001), assists him. But after 11 a.m., this `parotta' master assumes another avatar – meeting villagers, sorting out knotty local issues and monitoring the development works. "The job gives me immense satisfaction since I mingle with my fellow villagers. For them I am a tea stall owner first and a village president next, since I am running the stall for long. God has been very cordial to me. Our hard work fetches a decent income. That is enough for two of us, myself and my wife, since both my two sons and one daughter have already been settled," Velusamy points out. As the village is located nearer to Salem city, where the real estate boom is rocking, he, as a president, is facing a few problems. "A few accused me of issuing no objection certificates to real estate people. But I have nothing to hide," he claims. The `parotta' master loves to contest for the third term, which looks remote since in all probability the village would be brought under reservation. From THE HINDU, January 1, 2012. Idea: Shri N. Sadagapan.

TWO

Visually-challenged will now get a peek into the Ramayana, thanks to a 17-year-old student who has made the epic available in Braille. Pranav Raghav Sood, a grade XI Bangalore (Karnataka, Bharat) student, chose the great epic as it was not available to the visually challenged. "I had visited the 'Abilities' school for blind when I was 12. I had accompanied my grandmother, who used to read out stuff to visually challenged kids. When we first went to the NGO, a visually challenged woman actually announced my grand-mother's arrival even before she stepped into the room. She had apparently figured out things by hearing her footsteps. I realized that day that the visually challenged had a different understanding of the world and with a little help they could actually do wonders in everyday live," Pranav said. After encouragement from hisfamily, this young boy took 120 days to type out C Rajagopalachari's Ramayana in English in MS Word format. Any text in this format can be directly programmed into Braille and this does not require anyfurther editing. Kalyan Nagar-based Abilities, which assisted Pranav, said: ''The Ramayana is the most popular work and each one of us have to know about this great epic. We are so happy that this work will be now available to the visually challenged." Pranav's mother, Sood, said: "My son wanted to help the visually challeng children in writing exams. But as it did not work, he took up the project of making the Ramayana available to them in Braille. I hope his efforts will be emulated by other children." A report in THE TIMES OF INDIA, Bengaluru, December 30, 2011.

THREE

The MA in Social Entrepreneurship course at the Tata Institute of Social Studies (TISS), Mumbai (Maharashtra, Bharat), which was launched four years ago, has decided to put an end to placements starting this year to encourage its students to take up entrepreneurship. Here is a business school which has decided to withdraw the safety net of placements for its graduates so that they are pushed to start their own ventures. The philosophy of the programme is to come up with innovative solutions to social problems, so simply handing over jobs to students was defeating the purpose of the programme," saya TISS faculty member. Students of the 2011-12 batch were intimated of the change in the placement process at the time of admissions itself."A few students from every batch started setting up their own startups. Many of these were making noteworthy contribution to the society. For instance, helping farmers in coastal Andhra Pradesh increase their productivity, or providing low-cost to free dental care in Haryana, etc. Since such notable ventures were anyway being created, it made sense to do away with placements totally" added the faculty. Based on a report by Smt Tanuja Jaishree posted in www.rediff.com on Decenber 23, 2011.

FOUR

It was a wedding that made a difference. The details: Swadeshi Jagaran Manch activist Shri K. Gurumoorthi married off his daughter Sowbhagyavati Aishwarya to Chiranjivi Ram Kumar of Chennai on December 14, 2011 at Srirangam, the ancient Vaishnavaite pilgrim centre in Tiruchy district (Tamilnadu, Bharat). The wedding reception highlight was a book release function. The Tamil book that was released had been penned by columnist and all Bharat co convener of SJM, Shri S. Gurumurthy, co authored by Shri Sekar Swamy. It dealt with the negative fall out of `FDI in retail trade'. Shri Sreeganesan, all Bharat secretary of Bharatiya Kisan Snagh released the book and Shri Chella Kumar, Tiruchy Jilla Sanghchalak of RSS, received the first copy. SJM's Tamilnadu state organizing secretary Shri Nambi Narayanan gave details of the contents of the book. Shri Krishna Jagannathan, a social worker, delivered a speech on `family values' on the occasion. Each guest was given a copy of the book kept inside the bag of `Thamboolam' while taking leave. From Tamil monthly SWADESHI SEIDHI of SJM, Tamilnadu, January 2012.

FIVE

Delhi University is planning to add another academic year to its existing three-year undergraduate course starting 2013. The BA, BCom and BSc courses are likely to be structured in a way that even if a student opts out before completing four years, either a diploma or a lesser degree will be awarded. Students will also get to study a wider range of subjects in the first year before having to lock in a specialization. As per vice-chancellor Dinesh Singh's plans, the four-year degree will have a core curriculum comprising general studies in the first year and students will be allowed to opt for courses across streams. The VC said during his interactions in colleges he had found students themselves wanted a larger range of subjects to choose from. "The students continue to surprise us. Sanskrit students want to study French and German simultaneously, mathematics students want to study history. In fact, this shows their maturity. There is a great demand for Sanskrit teachers and academics in Germany. We need to explore many more such opportunities and innovation and empower our students," said Singh. Based on a report in THE TIMES OF INDIA, January 3, 2012. Idea: Dr. M. Jayaraman.

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PANCHAAMRITAM 226

2011-12-24T21:54:00.001-08:00

Vishwa Samvad Kendra, Chennai

PANCHAAMRITAM 226

Pancha is five in Samskritam, Amritam is nectar

Amavaasya / Kali Yugaabda 5113 / Kara Margazhi 8 (December 24, 2011)

ONE

People in the neighbourhood call him Kumar. He wanders about the roads, sleeps in street corners and lives on food offered by kind-hearted passers-by. On a hot Tuesday afternoon, as he lies by a gutter off Mettupalayam Road, something unusual happens. A group of men with combs and hair-styling shears arrives in a car. Before he realises it, they sit Kumar down and give him a haircut, his first in many years. He sits still as they crop his hair and trim his beard. The men dress him in a new shirt and offer him food and water. Kumar walks away, sack slung over his shoulder. He merges with the market crowd — this time, he fits in.This is what N. Deivaraj and his team wish for — that the homeless and mentally-challenged get to live dignified lives. A hair-stylist based in Tirupur, Deivaraj runs the `New Deiva City Hair Arts Trust' with his friends and relatives. The trust has been providing free hair cuts for the mentally-challenged, differently-abled and under-privileged for four years now. Deivaraj and his 13-member team seek out such people, groom them and offer them a meal. Once in three months, they travel to places outside Tirupur. The team goes around in a rented vehicle from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., helping as many as they can. Once a week, they do free hair-cuts for children in orphanages in and around Tirupur. "Together, we've been to places such as Dindigul, Trichy, Erode, Namakkal and Karur," says Deivaraj. Deivaraj can be contacted on 94423-72611. Based on a report by Smt Akila Kannadasan in THE HINDU, December 14, 2011.

TWO

Samaskrutotsavam 2011 was celebrated in Dundas Community Centre on November 12, 2011 by the 5 year old Sydney Sanskrit School, the first Community Language Sanskrit School in Australia and the Southern Hemisphere. Shri Cha Mu Krishna Shastry, the founder of Samaskritha Bharati the movement that saw the revival of spoken Samskrit, was invited as the guest of honour. Other distinguished invitees were His Excellency Consul General, Mr P D Fernando, Consulate General from The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, Ms Kesanee Palanuwongse, Deputy Consul-General, Royal Thai Government, Minister for Citizenship and Communities Victor Dominello represented by Mr Andrew Rohan, MP, Member for Smithfield, Mr Paul Lynch, MP, Member for Liverpool and Shadow Attorney General, Mr Alex Di Prinzio, The NSW Community Languages Schools Program Education Officer , Mr Vijay Singhal, Hindu Council of Australia, Mr Samba Murthy, renowned Vedantic scholar. The dignitaries applauded the unifying effect of Samskrit in the global scenario. From a report by Shri Karthik Subramanian and Smt. Priyamvada Sreenath in INDIAN HERALD, December 19, 2011.

THREE

In his brief tenure of ten months as SP (city) and SP (traffic), Shivdeep Waman Lande made a huge fan following. The Yuvak Sangathan Lande founded in his home district Akola after joining the Indian Revenue Service in 2004, has a membership of 70,000-odd villagers devoted to the cause espoused by him. Lande donates 60% to 70% of his pay to the Sangathan which organizes mass marriages of poor girls and runs coaching classes and a hostel for students in Akola to "aid them realize their dreams". The "worse-off among them with a spark" are adopted by the Sangathan which fully finances them till they land a job. Few in Bihar know about the social activist that Lande is. This engineering grad who quit IRS to join IPS in 2006, is known more for his proactive policing. His crackdown on spurious drugs, cosmetics and edible items; his 24X7 availability on phone and his strictness in dealing with the high and mighty violating traffic rules saw him rise and shine in the eyes of not only the youngsters but also their guardians. Ask the Maharashtrian the difference between policing in Bihar and Maharashtra, and pat came the reply: job satisfaction. "You know why? Political interference in Bihar is negligible." Lande enjoys a clean image. But marriage is nowhere on Lande's list of priorities. "My Sangathan members are like my family; I don't think I will get time off my official and social preoccupations to devote to marriage and children," he said. From a report by Shri Raj Kumar in THE TIMES OF INDIA, November 24, 2011.

FOUR

He remained a bachelor all his life and spent his energies for social causes, leading a simple, self effacing life. In the first general election (1952), M C Subrahmanyam (12 December, 1912 - 2 May,1993) campaigned for T T Krishnamachary and during the course of his interaction with the Mambalam (Chennai, Tamilnadu, Bharat) residents, saw a dire need for a health centre there. "Without waiting for the initiative of the government, he established the Public Health Centre with the support of a dedicated band of nationalistic friends," recalls C Gopalan, an associate of MC. "For decades, it was absolutely free. Then we charged as little as 50 paise and then a rupee to help continue the service. Today, we charge just Rs 40. The hospital is run through donations from philanthropists," says T A Subramanian, honorary secretary of the PHC. The service that began in a thatched shed with a part-time doctor on September 20, 1953 is today a multi-specialty hospital with 80 doctors, including specialists, and over 200 employees, including paramedics. Little wonder, the institution is today a landmark and a household name in West Mambalam. Express News Service & www.ibnlive.com , December 13, 2011. (After reading a report about MC in THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS on December 12, Shri Ratnavel, a senior citizen, donated Rs 25,000 to the PHC, reported TNIE of December 13).

FIVE

Shri Hariharan, a Swayamsevak, runs a provision store in Orikkai, off Kanchipuram (Tamilnadu, Bharat). Candidate of every political party distributed cash for vote during the state Assembly elections in April 2011. While all voters accepted the money, Hariharan refused to receive it. Thus he antagonized all. Came the local bodies election in October 2011 and along with it the usual cash for vote, delivered door to door. This time over, Hariharan accepted the money. All candidates were happy. But once the polling was over, Hariharan used the money to repair an open drainage in his street. The example set by him prompted other residents of his street to say that they too would like to put the sinful money to such public purpose. Based on a report by Shri Rama. Rajasekar in VIJAYABHARATHAM, December 23, 2011.

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PANCHAAMRITAM 225

2011-12-24T21:53:00.001-08:00

Vishwa Samvad Kendra, Chennai

PANCHAAMRITAM 225

Pancha is five in Samskritam, Amritam is nectar

Poornoma / Kali Yugaabda 5113 / Kara Karthigai 24 (December 10, 2011)

Posted on December 16, 2011. Sorry for the delay.

vemONE

Reiterating the Vedic tradition that one becomes a Brahaman not by birth but by karma and jnana (knowledge), Shri Sivanandan Sharma of Karimullaikal Mavelikara is all set to become a Brahmachari in the Sringeri Mutt (Karnataka, Bharat). Fourth among the sons of Shri PR Kunjan, Sivanandan's spiritual journey started very early. After his pre-University education he studied the Vedas, Upanishads; he obtained upanayanam from the Vedic Scholar the late Acharya Narendra Bhusan. He will shortly be initiated as a Brahmachari at the Sringeri Mutt after Sanyasa Dheeksha.ï»¿ (Shri Sivanandan hails from a Harijan family of Kerala). Based on a report by Shri S Chandrasekharan in ORGANISER, December 11, 2011.

TWO

After his retirement as Headmaster of a higher secondary school, Shri R. Ramalingam set out from his house at Chennai (Tamilnadu, Bharat). He settled down at a remote village by name Vediyappan Nagar near Thiruppathur, Vellore district. He built a house there for his residence and also a classroom. He gathered children of daily wage earners of the area and conducts free tuition for them there. He has named this Seva centre as `Kamaraj Kalai Koodam' in memory of the late leader K.Kamaraj. Ramalingam informs that it was Kamaraj who inspired him to opt for a course that will enable him to teach others. "Therefore I joined B.Ed course after my PG and now I have named this centre after Kamaraj", adds Ramalingam. In his own childhood, poor kids of his native place (Vediyappan Nagar) were denied the chance to go to school. Their plight disturbed him all through his teaching career. As a Swayamsevak, Ramalingam has given constructive expression to his thought through the free tuition centre. As told to Team PANCHAAMRITAM by Shri T.S.Ravikumar, Sangh Pracharak.

THREE

`Pudhiya Thalaimurai' a popular Tamil weekly and sister of a TV channel of the same name has brought out its first Braille edition last month. This facility will enable blind persons to read the magazine but once a month. For now, the weekly plans to bring out a collection of select articles from the print edition in Braille format. Copies of the Braille edition will be sent to 100 institutions working for the welfare of the blind, according to a news item in the weekly. Team PANCHAAMRITAM

FOUR

Popular TV presenter and Tamil stage artist Shri Varadarajan met Gujarat Chief Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 13 – 11 – 2011 at Ahmedabad. The CM enquired him whether he had any big trouble because of security personnel. Varadarajan replied in the negative. Modi informed him that all the required security checks were duly carried out, but all that was done without he (Varadarajan) even knowing it. That speaks for the efficiency of the officials here and of the diligence of the administration, added Modi. "On several occasions, the drivers of the taxis that I hired in Ahmedabad and Surat happened to be Muslims, and all of them whole heartedly expressed the opinionthat it because of Modi that they are leading a contented life. I was surprised. I saw for myself that the media and TV description are far removed from the actual fact." Based on a write up by Shri Varadarajan in THUGLAK, December 14, 2011.

FIVE

Remya Rajan 24 and Vineetha PK, 23, two nurses from Kerala, saved eight patients in the devastating fire at the AMRI hospital in Kolkatta on December 9, 2011. Both of them died of suffocation. The mortal remains the nurses were brought to Kochi on December 11.Vineetha of Pullikal, Kothanalloor, Kottayam, had joined the AMRI a couple of months ago. She is survived by her father Kunjumon, mother Mary and sister Divya. Remya of Mecheril, Uzhavoor, Kottayam, had joined the hospital six months ago. She is survived by her father Rajappan, mother Usha and brother Rejesh. More bravehearts of the fire incident included dwellers of hutments adjoining the hospital. They broke the compound wall of the burning hospital and carried a large number of patients to safety. Haindavakeralm.com and NDTV.com

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PANCHAAMRITAM 224

2011-12-20T06:19:00.001-08:00

Vishwa Samvad Kendra, Chennai

PANCHAAMRITAM 224

Pancha is five in Samskritam, Amritam is nectar

Amavaasya / Kali Yugaabda 5113 / Kara Karthigai 8 (November 24, 2011)

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ONE

7 year old Venkatesh was begging as usual, dressed as Mahatma Gandhi, at a street close to Visakapatnam (Andhra Pradesh, Bharat) railway station. This was noticed one fine morning in 1997 by a traffic police inspector Shri Arjun , who had a chat for a while with the boy. Venkatesh's mother had died. His father was a liquor addict. It was to bring up his siblings - a younger brother and a younger sister - that he begs like that. Arjun did not simply walk away after listening to the heart rending tale. He got all the three children admitted to Prema Samajam, an NGO in the city. Years rolled by. In 2007, Venkatesh scored 481 marks in the SSLC exams – he was declared class-first. His brother and sister too were class toppers that year. From DINAMANI, May 17, 2007.

TWO

Biogas plants are not a new concept to rural sector, but their big size, installation cost, need for large quantities of cattle dung, and space restriction prove a deterrent for those opting to install them. But Shakthi Surabhi, a kitchen waste based biogas plant developed by the Vivekananda Kendra Natural Resources Development Project (Vk nardep), Kanyakumari, after nearly quarter century of experiments, promises to change all that. Leftover cooked food (veg and non-veg), vegetable wastes, waste material from flour mills, non edible oil seed cakes (neem, jatropha etc) are some of the required feed materials. About 5 kg of waste is required for a 1 cubic metre plant which is equal to 0.43 kg of LPG. The unit consists of an inlet waste feed pipe, a digester, gas holder, water jacket, a gas delivery system and an outlet pipe. The advantage of Shakthi Surabhi is not just because it economizes and provides alternative fuel for cooking gas. It is also an excellent mechanism for biodegradable waste disposal. The process is hygienic and is devoid of odour and flies. The unit also helps in controlling climate change effects and arrests green house gases, and the digested outlet slurry of the unit acts as good organic manure. It is estimated that 100 cubic metres of biogas could produce 5 KW of energy to meet a 20-hour power requirement of a house. From a report in THE HINDU, July 29, 2010. (Listing Shakti Surabhi as an alternative to the now scarce LPG, AVAL VIKATAN, a woman's magazine, in its issue of December 6, 2011 says it costs Rs 26,000 to install with no monthly recurring expenses).

THREE

"Prior to this experience of Ekal Vana Yatra in rural Rajasthan (Bharat), I connected Village to the notion of "poor", "struggling" or "underprivileged". While the villages may not have all the amenities of a large or developing city, they are rich with many things: They are rich with Happiness – everywhere we went and every place we visited I saw smiles on the faces of the children, of the Village citizens, of the elders. They are rich with Respect – for elders, for their visitors for their teachers – whom themselves each come from the villages in which they teach. They are rich in confidence – The kids greeted and talked with adults in a confident yet respectful tone. There were all mature beyond their years. They are rich in Hospitality – I felt welcomed in every village that we visited. Each went out of their way to ensure that their guests were comfortable. They are rich with Beauty – Beauty in many ways. The setting and surrounding within each village, the buildings and shelters, The play, the smiles, the people, the respect, all beautiful! The simple lifestyle has brought about simple necessities. Education, health and well-being are clearly simple necessities. I was proud that at least for 1 day that I was living a part of the Ekal mission." From a recent note by Shri Rodney Clark, GM, Microsoft. (www.ekal.org)

FOUR

Dharmavati Arya (22), a student of Panini Kanya Mahavidyala, Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh, Bharat), has mastered archery at national level. She was recently invited by Tata Archery Academy, Jamshedpur, for advanced training in the sport at international level. "I can hit the object with my arrow by looking at the object in the mirror (this act was practiced by Arjun of Mahabharat). "By the time girls reach 18-20 years, they know all the warfare - archery, swords, daggers, javeline, lathi, horse riding, etc. Little girls, Akriti (13) and Kasturi (14) have mastered two handed swords and knives while some of them have mastered the art of archery performing yogasans. They can also offer flower garlands to guests with a click from their bow and arrow and can produce dance drama with the sounds of their swords. Acharya Dr Priti Vimarshini, teacher of warfare, who herself studied in the same Gurukul, says: "There are several tales of self defence. Madhuri Arya, a student of the Gurukul, jumped off from a running train chasing a thief and came back safely. Similarly Dharmvati Arya has solved many cases of eve teasing on roads." Girls from different regions of the country of different caste, including dalits, and some special guests from foreign lands study here. The 40-year-old Gurukul has been imparting knowledge in Sanskrit, Astyadhyayi, Vedas, vedic hymns, Science, Indian philosophy and karmakand (performing rituals). Based on a report by Smt Swati Chandra in THE TIMES OF INDIA, November 10, 2011.

FIVE

102-year-old Thadagathi of Pudukulam village near Madurai (Tamilnadu, Bharat) was elected as a Panchayat member in the recent civic elections. As a midwife she helped women deliver babies. Thadagathi, also known as Nattathi Ammal by villagers, defeated her two opponents nearly seven decades younger to her in the polls, winning over 50 percent of the votes polled. Knocking on every door in her ward, she asked for votes and it was difficult for the people to turn her plea down. In these days of mega scams and land grab complaints Thadagathi promised people that she will not swindle public money or property. Thadagathi had come to Pudukulam village as a child bride and since then she has been there. Even at her ripe old age, Thadagathi earns her wages from the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. While her husband Perumal is no more, Thadagathi has two sons, three daughters and 10 grandchildren. Thadagathi's elder son P. Undupandi is a construction worker while her younger son P. Karuppu is a farm worker. Her daughters are all married. www.sifynews.com October 23, 2011.

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PANCHAAMRITAM 223

2011-11-10T06:17:00.001-08:00

Vishwa Samvad Kendra, Chennai

PANCHAAMRITAM 223

Pancha is five in Samskritam, Amritam is nectar

Poornima/ Kali Yugaabda 5113 / Kara Ayppasi 24 (November 10, 2011)

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ONE

In a tribute to Indian soldiers, the municipality of Haifa (Israel) has decided to include the stories of their valiant efforts in liberating the city in 1918 during the First World War by incorporating them in Israeli school curricula as part of the history textbooks. Nearly 900 Indian soldiers sacrificed their lives in this region; they were cremated or buried in cemeteries across Israel. India's Ambassador to Israel Navtej Sarna released a book, `Memorials of Indian Soldiers in Israel', at a function in Haifa as part of an initiative that will spread more awareness and greater recognition for the supreme sacrifice made by these soldiers. (The Indian army commemorates September 23 every year as Haifa Day to pay its respects to the two brave Indian Cavalry Regiments that helped liberate the city. The Indian Brigade was a part of the Allied Forces sweeping northwards through Palestine in what is seen as the last great cavalry campaign in history. Captain Aman Singh Bahadur and Dafadar Jor Singh were awarded the Indian Order of Merit (IOM) and Captain Anop Singh and 2nd Lt Sagat Singh were awarded the Military Cross (MC) as recognition for their bravery in this battle. Major Dalpat Singh (MC) is known in the annals of history as the 'Hero of Haifa' for his critical role in the Liberation of the city. He was awarded a military cross for his bravery). The municipality of Haifa also announced to organise a ceremony every year to commemorate the role of the Indian army in liberating the city from Turks after almost 402 years. http://news.outlookindia.com September 19, 2011.

TWO

Every nation has its own identity or what we called soul, and only that identity it can nurture its society. As far as the Himalayan country Nepal is concerned, that identity or soul lies in the very concept of Hinduism. When Nepal lost the Hindu statehood three years ago, it marked the decline of nationalism also. But the great Nepali citizens who bear the legacy of Buddha do not seem to be happy. A survey conducted in 2010 clearly depicted the Nepali mood. 52.2% of people participated in the survey called for the restoration of Hindu Statehood. The signs of displeasure have becoming evident now as more and more protest symbols, that show the insecurity of Nepal citizens, appeared on the walls of Nepal streets recently. The country has its roots in Hindu culture. The great Indian King Janaka's Mythila Kingdom that mentioned in Indian Hindu scripture Ramayana now belongs to Nepal, the Kingdom of Gautam Buddha's (the founder of Buddhism) father, Kapilavasthu, is in Nepal. Along with India Nepal also shares the legacy of the grand Indian Mourya Empire. From a (November 3, 2011) report by Shri Dipin Damodharan on http://www.groundreport.com

THREE

Foreigners flocking to Haridwar, one of the holiest Hindu holy spots, are mostly the educated, both men and women, from all parts of the globe, and have a spiritual commitment that amazes many Indians. Moscow resident Victor Shevtsov, 56, explained why Russians like him have taken to Hinduism in such large numbers." Shevtsov said : "Many Russians are coming here because they don't have answers (to their questions) in Orthodox Christianity."Here, in India and in the East, religious leaders talk to you, they answer questions." Fellow Russian Prokhor Bashkatov, a 37-year-old real estate agent, also blamed the Russian Church for his decision to embrace Hinduism. Both Victor and Prokhor have close links with Gayatri Parivar, agrassroots group that is organising a mammoth event at Haridwar, (Uttarakhand, Bharat) November 6-10, 2011 with a view to propagating the sacred 'Gayatri Mantra'. Like so many foreigners, Dasom Her, a 22-year-old South Korean whostudies here, said India, Hindu ethos and yoga had always attracted her parents, who met at a yoga class in South Korea and fell in love. When her father died, her mother decided to move to India with Dasom. "My mother decided that India is where I will learn the values of life," she added. IANS November 2, 2011.

FOUR

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's handling of the bureaucracy is drawing appreciation from unexpected quarters. Economist Isher Judge Ahluwalia was seen praising his governance on the sidelines of a function on urban infrastructure in Ahmedabad on October 9. Earlier, the Government of India, taking a cue from the Supreme Court, also indirectly commended the state's Public Distribution System by asking other states to emulate the Gujarat and Chhattisgarh models. Modi shares his vision with the bureaucrats by interacting with them at the Chintan Shibir, an annual exercise in which he, his Cabinet and officers huddle together for three days. The Chief Minister even practises yoga with officers. "Modi has de-bureaucratised the bureaucracy," says T.V. Rao, who teaches at IIM, Ahmedabad. The Gujarat state government sends nearly 1,000 IAS, IPS and other officers who fan out every year in June asking parents to send their girls to school. Such efforts have brought down the girl dropout rate from 36.9 per cent to 8.12 per cent in 10 years. For Gunotsav (an annual exercise to map the standard of school education), 3,000-odd officers cover the state over two days in November. Under the Karmayogi Training Programme initiated in 2005, over 2.25 lakh state government employees have been imparted governance skills by professional agencies. Based on a report by Shri Uday Mahurkar in INDIA TODAY, October 21, 2011 (Idea: Shri Ashok Chowgule).

FIVE

Each Ekal vidyalaya (school-at-your-doorstep for kids of remote hamlets of Bharat) comprises 30 students. (9,84,480 children learn to read and write in the 35,115 Ekal vidyalayas across Bharat). At present, the number of pass out students is much more than the present number of students studying at the vidyalayas. Even if each and every student scattered in different villages plants just one sapling, then also at least 50 saplings will be planted in each village. Thus, the students who have studied in ekal vidyalayas themselves can plant 10 lakh saplings within a year. Yes, Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation has undertaken saplings planting programme under its Swabhimaan Jaagran Abhiyaan. Central office-bearer of Swabhimaan Jaagran Abhiyaan Lalan Kumar Sharma informed that the foundation has vowed to plant 10 lakh saplings in the coming year. The drive was initiated on the occasion of World Environment Day (June 5, 2011) at Shri Santram Mandir, Nadiyad (Gujarat). Pujya Swamiji planted a neem sapling in the temple premises in presence of hundreds of karyakartas assembled from all parts of the country. Along with Swamiji, Central Incharge of Ekal Movement Shyam Guptaji also planted a sapling to initiate the movement. A variety of saplings such as medicinal herbs, fruits, vegetables, flowers, etc will be included in the drive. Saplings that will give furniture wood will also be included. This will help in the propagation of a variety of plants at various places in the country. Sharma said that in order to connect common people with this movement, Ekal Vidyalaya will create awareness about tree plantation. http://www.newsbharati.com

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PANCHAAMRITAM 222

2011-10-26T19:42:00.001-07:00

Vishwa Samvad Kendra, Chennai

PANCHAAMRITAM 222

Pancha is five in Samskritam, Amritam is nectar

Amavaasya/ Kali Yugaabda 5113 / Kara Ayppasi 9 (October 26, 2011)

HAPPY DEEPAVALI!

ONE

Chiranjeevi R.Sridhar and Sowbhgyavati S.Pradeepa were happily married on September 1, 2011 at a marriage hall in West Mambalam, a middle class locality of Chennai (Tamilnadu, Bharat). All guests who entered the hall to bless the couple were pleasantly surprised by the arrangement of portraits of over 6o freedom fighters at the entrance. The pictures of Bharat Mata and Doctorji-Shri Guruji were prominently displayed. Every guest made an offering of flowers to Bharat Mata and her beloved children while entering the hall. A tray full of flowers was kept handy. The whole idea was that of Sai Ganesh, younger brother of Sridhar. Sai Ganesh, a practicing purohit of the area, received whole hearted words of appreciation to this novel idea in the following fortnight whenever he visited families to perform pooja. Many welcomed the replacement of Jaanavaasam (bridegroom's procession to a temple) with Bharat Mata pooja; they argued that the presence of the great patriots' portraits provided the holy ambience of a temple. Incidentally, Sai Ganesh is the Mambalam Nagar Karyawah of RSS. As told to Team Panchaamritam.

TWO

Two students, Gyumer Bapu and Tadar Chachumy, both Swayamsevaks of Nyopin Shakha (400 KMs from the state capital Itanagar) in the Kurumkme district of Arunachal Pradesh (Bharat), were waiting at a bus stop. They noticed two Vanavasi (tribal) women nearby crying pitiably. The non tribal Swayamsevaks learnt from them that a relative of theirs had died at a place 8 KMs away and they could not transport the body as they could not find a a vehicle for that. It was already late in the evening and night was approaching. They had to hurry up but found no way out. Then and there, the Swayamsevaks resolved to help them. They both reached the place where the body was kept, carried it on their shoulders and began walking. It was raining. The night was dark. The path was hazardous as the area was mountainous. But nothing deterred their resolve. They continued to walk and handed over the body to the grief-stricken tribal women. This indicates the narrowing gap between tribals and non tribals atleast as far as vigilant Hindus are concerned. By Shri Sudheer Joshi from Itanagar.

THREE

Shri Moolaram Bishnoi of Jodhpur (Rajasthan, Bharat), went to a State Bank of India ATM to withdraw Rs 5,000. Once he pressed the button, currency notes cascading out of the ATM non stop. They stopped only when his hands were full with Rs 20,000.He was shocked at what happened. He did not know how to return the excess amount to the bank. But as a Swayamsevak he was aware that Shri Shyam Manohar, the Saha Prant Karyawah of Jodhpur prant, works in a bank. Quickly Moolaram met Shyamji, who helped him to formally return the excess amount to the bank. That is how ordinary people add value to the Bhagavad Gita's teaching of `non coveting' by living it. By Shri S. Sambamoorthy from Gorakhpur.

FOUR

Robert Hooke is said to have discovered the plant cell in 1665 after a series of examinations under a coarse, compound microscope. However, an ancient Indian text had revealed the fact much before Hooke. Indian botanists claim that there are references of a similar concept in ancient Indian manuscripts and that a Rigvedic Maharishi, Parashara, had given a detailed description of this. Dr Sâ€ˆSundara Rajan, botanist and Sanskrit scholar, quoting Parashara's Vrukshayurveda, says:â€ˆ"In the leaf, there are innumerable components. It has a boundary, a colouring matter, a sap inside and they are not visible to the naked eye." Rajan said he had presented the findings before the International Botanical Congress in Sydney in 1981 and had convinced botanists from several countries that the discovery was made by Parashara long before the Western world. A botanist from New Zealand, he said, had questioned:â€ˆ"Do you mean Indians discovered microscope?" In his reply, he had said:â€ˆ"I have no proof to claim that. But the fact that Parashara, in his description has used the expression `not visible to naked eye', suggests that he had used some magnifying technique to discover matter in the leaves." From a report by Shri Chethan Kumar, Bangalore, in DECCAN HERALD, Oct 21, 2011. (Idea: Shri Lakshminarasimhan Krishnan).

FIVE

A teacher, a postman, a grocery store owner and an ayurvedic healer: This is the team that inspired the reforestation of 700 hectares and creation of 20,000 ponds over the last 30 years. Sachidanand Bharti, the teacher, was an active participant in the Chipko Andolan during his days as a student. The team owes its success to the community in the 136 villages of Dudhatoli region in Pauri Garhwal, Uttarakhand (Bharat), which is a 300 square kilometre forest. None of them depend on the organisation for their salary. The forest is actually there because of the thousands of women who took up the responsibility of their forest. When a village's forest was destroyed, women had to go to another village to collect fuel wood and fodder. If they were caught by that village's people, they were summoned before the Panchayat there. Besides paying fine for the `crime' of stealing from another village's forest, they also had to bear the public insultThe women here go about safeguarding the forest carrying a pole with bells tied on its top. Once done, they leave the pole in front of another woman's house which signifies that it's her turn next. This pattern has gone on for 30 years without fail and without any expectation of money. In 1999, a World Bank team visited Dudhatoli. Impressed by their work, they offered them a loan of Rs. 100 crores for village needs apart from afforestation. The team refused the offer. They belive that money will destroy the work. Based on a report by Smt Ravleen Kaur in THE HINDU, October 22, 2011.

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PANCHAAMRITAM 221

2011-10-11T19:30:00.001-07:00

Vishwa Samvad Kendra, Chennai

PANCHAAMRITAM 221

Pancha is five in Samskritam, Amritam is nectar

Poornima / Kali Yugaabda 5113 / Kara Purattaasi 24 (October 11, 2011)

ONE

Kalyana Raman Srinivasan was born and brought up in a small village called Mannarakoil in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu (Bharat). His father was a Tahasildar there. But the sudden death of his father at the age of 45 changed everything overnight. Kal was 15 then. His mother got a pension of Rs 420 a month. The family moved from the rented house to a hut. They had to sell the plates to buy rice to eat; his mother used to give rice in his hands. The first turning point in life was after his 12th standard. He got good marks in both the engineering and medicine entrance exams, and for engineering, he got admission at the Anna University in Chennai. He used to live on day scholars' lunch boxes and also use to fast. His first job was with Tata Consulting Engineers (TCE) Mumbai. He stayed at Dadar Railway Station as he knew no one there. Soon, he was in Chennai with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). Within a few months, he was sent to Edinburgh, UK. From Edinburgh, his next stop was the United States. In 1992, he went to the US as an entry level contractor with Wal-Mart. In two years, he was a director running a division. When he left Wal-Mart after six years, he was a man running the information systems for the International Division of the retail giant. In 1998, he joined drugstore.com Online Pharmacy as the chief information officer and in 2001 at the age of 30, he was the CEO of the company. In October 2007, GlobalScholar was launched targetting both teachers and students by acquiring four companies that were into education. Today, 200 people are working for GlobalScholar in Chennai and 150 in the US. In the current year its tunover will be 150-160 crore (Rs 1.5-1.6 billion). (Kal Raman is in India now for the Kumbhabhishekam of the temple at his village Mannarkoil. "It is taking place after 500 years. It is the culmination of two-and-a-half years of work. I have spent more than one and a half crore rupees (Rs 15 million) to renovate the temple and do the Kumbhabhishekam. More than anything else, I have given jobs to all my friends in the village who are masons and carpenters." Other than this, he has also adopted all the orphanages around his village and he takes care of around 2,000 kids, some of whom are physically handicapped. "I do not do this as charity; it's my responsibility. I am giving something back to the society that fed me, taught me, and took care of me and gave me hopes." From an email circulated in an egroup.

TWO

Sahakar Bharati is the 24 year old all India cooperative movement endeavouring to rejuvenate the nation. To enhance qualatative growth of co-operative movement, Sahakar Baharati has dedicatedly performed with a motto of " Bina Sanskar, Nahi Sahakar" and has engaged in building the team of socially devoted co-operative activists. Recognising its valuable contribution, the United Nations Organisation (UN) has authorized Sahakar Bharati to organize an international conference in February 2012 to mark the International Cooperative Year. Sahakar Bharati will be convening the meet on February 9 and 10, 2012, with help from the government of Madhya Pradesh. Over 200 delegates from several countries are expected to participate in the conference. PATHIK SANDESH, Jullandhar, September 2011.

THREE

For some of the 105 women cadets from the Officers Training Academy (OTA), Chennai, who were inducted into armed forces in September 2011, like Ganeve Lalji, daughter of Colonel S S Lalji, it was a matter of keeping their family tradition alive. "She is the third generation army officer in our family. Even though we don't have a son, we are proud to have her," said Major General Lalji D Singh, her grandfather who retired from services in 1993. "I wish I would be alive to see the fourth generation don the olive green," he said with a grin. They were part of the 370 cadets who took part in the passing out parade that marked the culmination of the initial part of the officers' training before moving on to join operational regiments across the country. "A lot of the women cadets were earlier working in the corporate sector," said OTA sources. Some were engineers, some specialised in information technology while some others had Masters in Business Administration, the sources added.Lt General V K Ahluwalia, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Central Command, who reviewed the passing out parade, told reporters that now more and more youngsters were coming forward to join the forces. "Who said the youth of the country are not interested to join the armed forces? There is a huge demand but then our selection process is tough as we don't want to compromise on quality," he said. Based on a report in THE SUNDAY INDIAN EXPRESS, September 18, 2011.

FOUR

Making a breakthrough in drug research to improve the quality of life of people suffering from Alzheimer's disease, an Indian scientist has discovered an anti-Alzheimer's drug that has been extracted from citrus fruits. Dr Mahaveer Golechha, senior research fellow, Department of Pharmacology, AIIMS, has been awarded the prestigious Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation's, USA Young Investigator Scholarship Award. Golechha, who hails from a small town in Rajasthan, said that he choose his research on Alzheimer's because he felt that not enough research has been conducted on the subject. "This drug Naringin is a bioflavonoid. Naringin exerted its effects through multiple mechanisms, like anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic. This drug has been discovered from citrus fruits," added the doctor. So far a total of 24.3 million people have been suffering from Alzheimer's worldwide and 4.6 million new cases are being diagnosed annually. This work has been published in the Biological and Pharmaceutical Bulletin, an international journal of Japanese Society of Pharmacology. DAILY PIONEER, September 21. 2011.

FIVE

As our country deals with the rapidly progressive threat of an epidemic of A(H1N1) flu, it is useful to remember that the A(H1N1) virus is spread mainly from person to person through coughing or sneezing by infected persons.The Centre for Disease Control in the U.S. has made the following recommendation: Individuals who do not have any symptoms should avoid close contact with sick people, should avoid touching their eyes, nose and mouth (because this can help the virus spread), and should also clean their hands frequently. There is another precaution that is applicable particularly in India that has not been highlighted so far, either in the media or in the recommendations of the health authorities, the avoidance of shaking hands when greeting other people. Shaking hands is a Western form of greeting that, with increasing globalisation and westernisation has been widely adopted in India, especially in urban areas. Today, shaking the hand of another person can mean that you are picking up the virus from that person's hand and exposing yourself to the risk of being infected with a virus that can be lethal. Therefore by folding our hands and saying "Namaste," the risk of person-to-person transmission of the virus can be eliminated. (The writer, Dr. Gautham Suresh, is Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Centre, Lebanon, NH, USA) From the Open Page column of THE HINDU, August 23, 2009. Read the following news as well: (The President of the USA Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama follow the practice of bumping fists instead of shaking hands when greeting others. This is a method to avoid contracting the flu virus. Nathan Wolfe, a virus expert of the Stanford University, California, has said that flu can be avoided if you do not shake hands but, instead, greet the other person in some alternate manner, preferably by touching the elbow, taking a bow of tapping fists. Handclasp can invite trouble in the form of flu. http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/10571432).

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__._,_.___

PANCHAAMRITAM 220

2011-09-29T08:25:00.001-07:00

Vishwa Samvad Kendra, Chennai

PANCHAAMRITAM 220

Pancha is five in Samskritam, Amritam is nectar

Amavaasya/ Kali Yugaabda 5113 / Kara Purattaasi 11 (September 28, 2011)

ONE

Smt Shakuntala Meena, 25-year-old Pradhan of Sapotra Panchayat Samiti in Karauli district (Rajasthan, Bharat), ensured unhindered access of the rural populace to the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) and check corruption in its implementation ever since it began in her block. Shakuntala had ensured appropriate use of the sanctioned funds to provide employment to the poor people and brought about transparency in the scheme's execution. She also got the Bajna Panchayat Secretary suspended for preparing fake muster rolls and defying the guidelines that no machines could be brought to work and only human labour had to be used. When she received reports that the people in Chandelipur village were being dissuaded from filing applications, she instructed the Panchayat Secretary to be present in panchayat samiti and receive applications. As a result, 45 persons were provided employment in the village in May this year. In another village, Kanarpura, the clever tricks of bureaucrats were thwarted to give work to those submitting applications in June. THE HINDU, Aug 18, 2007.

TWO

Tumbang saan —in this Indonesian village near the heart of Borneo's great, dissolving rainforest, Udatn is regarded as a man of deep spiritual knowledge. He speaks the esoteric language of the Sangiyang. His is a key role in the rituals of Kaharingan, one of a number of names for the ancestor-worshipping religion of Borneo's indigenous forest people, the Dayak. The world's most populous Muslim-majority country is no Islamic state, but it is a religious one. Every citizen must subscribe to one of six official creeds: Islam, Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, Buddhism, Confucianism or Hinduism. Kaharingan, like dozens of other native faiths, does not officially exist. Even in this village, a frontier where land clearing and mining is fast erasing ancient forest, people have long seen their faith under threat from officialdom. "When I was in school I was a Catholic," said Shri Udatn. "For us, if someone wanted to keep going to school then they had to convert to another religion." Now, however, things are changing, and the missionaries are being held at bay. That is because villagers have seized on a strategy being used by many Dayak: Most of the people of Tumbang Saan are now followers of Hinduism, the dominant religion on the distant island of Bali. Few here could name a Hindu god or even recognize concepts, like karma, that have taken on popular meanings even in the West. But that is not the point. In a corner of the world once famed for headhunters and impenetrable remoteness, a new religion is being developed to face up to an encroaching modern world and an intrusive Indonesian state. The point, in short, is cultural survival. "The Hindus have helped us," said Mr. Udatn. "They're like our umbrella." Based on a report in www.nytimes.com September 25, 2011. Also THE INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE, September 25, 2011.

THREE

R Kavitha, an employee of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) who lost her bag, sent an email complaint to Selaiyur assistant commissioner of police Dhanraj on Tuesday (September 27). On Wednesday, the police called to say they found her bag. Kavitha had left the bag behind while she was loading luggage onto the car from her house in Rajakilpakam near East Tambaram. The abandoned baggage containing 20 sovereigns of gold and a laptop was recovered by another software engineer, R Madhusudan, who worked for CSC Computers. He found the bag containing the valuables lying on the road near Rajakilpakkam and handed it over at the local police station. On Wednesday, Kavitha and Madhusudan were called to the Greater Chennai police commissioner's office in Egmore (Tamilnadu, Bharat), where the recovered valuables were handed over to Kavitha in front of assistant commissioner of police (PRO) A D Mohanraj. Kavitha commended Madhusudan and the police personnel for retrieving her missing valuables. THE TIMES OF INDIA, September 29, 2011.

FOUR

It was her sheer determination and hard work. Smt Fathima M, a middle-aged farmer in Pathiyarakkara near Vadakara (Kerala, Bharat), lives on the banks of Murad river. For the past five years, she has been engaged in the cultivation of arrowroot(koova) and is earning rich profits. Her success has added sweetness because the place is commonly known as non-conducive for cultivating most of the agriculture products other than coconut, owing to its closeness to sea and the presence of salt in the soil. Fathima narrates her success story: "I tried orchid and mushroom cultivation. Owing to the presence of salt in the soil, it did not click. Later, I happened to read an article about the arrowroot cultivation. I started doing it in a small part of land five years ago. It yielded 50 kilograms of arrowroot in the first year itself." At present, she is cultivating in five acres of land and produces more than 500 kilograms of arrowroot powder per year. She has also become an entrepreneur by starting a firm Reem Arrowroot Products to market the powder and is earning more than Rs 2 lakh every year. Fathima does not use pesticides and is practising organic farming. "As the arrowroot is considered as a medicine our main objective is to provide the best quality products for the people", she adds. Based on a report by Shri Sam Paul A in THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS, September 29, 2011.

FIVE

As our country deals with the rapidly progressive threat of an epidemic of A(H1N1) flu, it is useful to remember that the A(H1N1) virus is spread mainly from person to person through coughing or sneezing by infected persons. Sometimes, people may become infected by touching a surface or object with flu viruses on it and then touching their mouth or nose. Therefore, the Centre for Disease Control in the U.S. has made the following recommendations to prevent the spread of this illness: Individuals who do not have any symptoms should avoid close contact with sick people, should avoid touching their eyes, nose and mouth (because this can help the virus spread), and should also clean their hands frequently by washing with soap and warm water for 15 – 20 seconds, or by using alcohol-based hand wipes or gel. There is another precaution that is applicable particularly in India that has not been highlighted so far, either in the media or in the recommendations of the health authorities, the avoidance of shaking hands when greeting other people. Shaking hands is a Western form of greeting that, with increasing globalisation and westernisation has been widely adopted in India, especially in urban areas. Today, shaking the hand of another person can mean that you are picking up the virus from that person's hand and exposing yourself to the risk of being infected with a virus that can be lethal. Therefore by folding our hands and saying "Namaste," the risk of person-to-person transmission of the virus can be eliminated, says Dr. Gautham Suresh, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Centre, Lebanon, NH, USA in an Open Page write up in THE HINDU, August 23, 2009.

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PANCHAAMRITAM 219

2011-09-12T18:42:00.001-07:00

Vishwa Samvad Kendra,Chennai

PANCHAAMRITAM219

Pancha is five inSamskritam, Amritam is nectar

Poornima/ Kali Yugaabda 5113 / Kara Aavani 26(September 12, 2011)

ONE

The judiciary has enhanced the anti-corruption fightof the state Government of Bihar by confiscating the multi - storied edifice ofIAS Shiv Shankar Verma who was suspended by the Vigilance department on hisdisproportionate income. The Special Vigilance Unit raided Verma's house on 6thJuly, 2007 and found the entire movable and the fixed properties mounting to Rs1.43 crores, that made up the largest share of his unaccounted income source. Theillegal and unaccountable property of the official has been confiscated by thecourt and handed over to the HRD ministry of the state. The Chief Minister ofBihar Nitish Kumar decided to open up a school for the poor children in thispalatial house on Bailey Road, Patna (Bihar, Bharat). http://headlinesindia.mapsofindia.com/state-news/bihar August 22, 2011.

TWO

Dr. Meera Krishna is the project coordinator for theSiruvani branch of Chinmaya Organisation for Rural Development (CORD). A fewyears ago, illiteracy, poverty and alcoholism prevented development of any kindat Thennamanallur, Coimbatore district, (Tamilnadu, Bharat). Most houses didnot have toilets. Women rarely stepped out of their homes. But things changedonce Meera set up a CORD office in the village. "I've always wanted to serve ina rural set-up," says 48-year-old Meera. "After 16 years of practice inChennai, we moved to Coimbatore for my daughter's education. She studied at theChinmaya International Residential School in Siruvani." Meera passed by Thennamanallurwhenever she visited her daughter. She thought it was a perfect place for herclinic. "I volunteered here for a year," she says, till CORD identified her in2006. Meera has been on her toes ever since. "It's all about bringing peopletogether. Self Help Groups (SHGs), magalir mandrams and farmers' clubs havebeen formed. So far, we have 19 SHGs and three farmers clubs in Thennamanallurpanchayat", says Meera. Through CORD, Meera has also facilitated additionalincome generation activities for the women. In Puthur, for example, Angathalmakes winnows and Devi makes paper covers. Old Kannamal and Palanichamy mixphenyl. A shop in Thennamanallur is dedicated to products made by the women.They sell homemade pain balms, handmade sanitary napkins, paper bags, paperpackets, wire baskets and vegetables straight from farmers. With the loans fromlocal banks, over 170 families have built toilets at home after Meera told themabout the importance of hygiene. (Email - cordsiruvani@gmail.com From THE HINDU, July 21, 2011. (Idea: Dr.M.Jayaraman)

THREE

Shri Mohammed Ansari, an Amdavadi (Ahmedabad,Gujarat, Bharat) auto-rickshaw driver, on Saturday (September 9, 2011) morning,returned a bag containing Rs 20 lakh worth of diamonds to the trader who hadforgotten it in his three-wheeler without checking the contents. He was laterfelicitated by the trader and police. Ansari has to feed his family of eight.On Saturday, his first customer was Rupesh Jain, a diamond trader from Jaipur,who had come to the city to meet his ailing mother. He hired Ansari from theKalupur railway station to a private hospital in Thaltej. "Ansari hadloaded Jain's bag into his rickshaw and driven off assuming that the passengerwas already in the backseat. However, Jain was left behind at the station withhis other luggage and the diamonds in the rickshaw. "Ansari realised hismistake when he reached Dilli Darwaza and drove back to the railwaystation," said D S Patel, inspector of Kalupur police station. By then,Jain had reached the police station and narrated his tale of missing diamonds.When the complaint was being recorded, Ansari came there. Jain rushed to thebag and was overwhelmed to see the diamonds still there. THE TIMES OF INDIA, September 11, 2011. (Idea: ShriRaghuraman).

FOUR

Smt Rajalakshmi Parthasarathy, better known as Mrs.YGP, began her career 50 years ago and is still going strong. The concept ofcontinuous assessment was practised in the schools she founded much before theCBSE implemented it recently. You can be forgiven for being acutely embarrassedwhen a well-dressed young man falls at your feet with the greeting "Sri GurubyoNamah" on a sidewalk in New York. But for Mrs. YGP it was a moment of joy. Shesaw in that spontaneous gesture, the success of what she had set out to do 50years ago, under the temporary roof of her terrace. Here was her student,western in dress and location, but Indian in speech and manner. Her school washer answer to the irony of Indians abandoning their pre-independencenationalism for unrestrained Westernisation. She retained English as the mediumbut the message strongly reflected Indian mythology, Vedic scriptures,traditions and values. The suspension her son suffered for carrying an idol tohis school only firmed up her resolve. Her school walls echo with the Bhakti ofclassical music, dance and drama along with Baa, Baa, Black Sheep. It was hercrusade for the "Indianisation of our children."Based on a report by Smt Geeta Padmanabhan in THE HINDU, September 10, 2011.

FIVE

The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research(CSIR) has prepared patent formats of nearly 900 yoga asanas (postures), toprevent European and Americann companies involved in fitness-related activitiesfrom claiming them as their own. These asanas will all be included in thedigitalised Traditional Knowledge Library (TKDL), set up by CSIR to collect andrecord traditional treatment therapy knowledge. Medicines and yoga asanasregistered with it enjoy the status of being patented. "Video recordingsof the asanas are also being made and recorded to prevent them from beingstolen," said TKDL director Dr VK Gupta. The CSIR began the project in2006. These 900 asanas have been collected from Patanjali's classic work onyoga, as well as other ancient classics like the Bhagwat Gita. Gupta said anumber of countries had already laid claim to around 250 of these postures. Some foreign companieshave even patented some of them. Foreign companies have been selling some ofthe yoga postures as therapies to relieve stress or backaches."How cansomeone else patent these asanas which are a part of our traditional treatmenttherapy knowledge? They should not be allowed to use them for commercialpurposes," Dr Gupta said. www.hindustantimes.com June 7, 2010.

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PANCHAAMRITAM 218

2011-08-29T09:55:00.001-07:00

Vishwa Samvad Kendra, Chennai

PANCHAAMRITAM 218

Pancha is five in Samskritam, Amritam is nectar

Amavaasya/ Kali Yugaabda 5113 / Kara Aavani 11 (August 28, 2011)

ONE

Lieutenant Commander Firdaus Darabshah Mogal of the Indian Navy made the supreme sacrifice off Mumbai while trying to save the life of six sailors under his command and has been awarded the Shaurya Chakra posthumously. On August 29 last year, while his submarine was on its way for a deployment, a defect was observed. The submarine decided to surface to attempt external repairs. Three sailors led by the engineer officer were on the casing for defect rectification when a strong wave swept two of the sailors and the engineer officer overboard. One sailor was badly injured. Mogal immediately realised the gravity of the situation and personally proceeded to rescue the injured sailor. On reaching the injured sailor, Mogal realised that the sailor was completely immobilized due to his leg injury. Displaying an unparalleled feat of heroism and fearlessness, , the officer carried the sailor from aft casing to the bridge, with complete disregard to his personal safety. Now Mogal dived into the sea to save the other five sailors and escorted them safely to the ladder of the submarine. However, before he could climb onto the ladder after completing the rescue act, a strong wave swept him away. He suffered serious head injuries. The officer later succumbed to his injuries. (Shaurya Chakra is the third highest peacetime gallantry award after Ashok and Kirti Chakras). DAILY PIONEER, August 14, 2011.

TWO

The Economic Times has been running a series of features since July 18, 2011 on dalit entrepreneurs. Many came from lower middle class families, got a decent education, and then made good. But others came from labourer families, and their rise is especially heartening. (1) Shri Bhagwan Gawai worked as a construction labourer as a boy in Mumbai. But he completed school and college, and then joined HPCL. He always got good appraisals but these were tampered with by caste-conscious colleagues, so he was denied the promotions he deserved. He sued HPCL on grounds of discrimination, and won. Later HPCL posted him in Dubai. There he acquired Arab friends who became his partners in a new trading business. This business now has a turnover of a whopping $20 million. He has also brought 30 dalit entrepreneurs together under a holding company, Maitreya Developers. (2) Shri Sushil Patil's father was a labourer in an ordnance factory, who educated his son. He had to plead with the college dean to waive the last year's fees, which he could not afford. The investment paid off. Sushil was employed in various firms, but then decided to start his own business, with the help of small loans. He failed in a series of ventures. But he persevered, and ultimately set up a firm, IEPC, providing engineering procurement and construction services. This now has revenues of Rs 280 crore per year. (3) Shri Ashok Khade's father was a cobbler, working under a tree in Mumbai. Ashok went to college and then joined Mazagon Docks. He acquired skills in offshore maintenance and construction. Today, his company DAS Offshore is a major offshore services company and he now plans a jetty fabrication yard that will employ 2,500 workers. He does not believe in caste reservation—only 1% of his workers are dalits.

THREE

A 38-year old mother of three from Iraq, Smt Wizdan, recently received a peripheral stem cell transplant at Sri Ramachandra Medical Centre, Chennai (Tamilnadu, Bharat), as treatment for her cancer — Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Wizdan was diagnosed with Hodgkin's and had received several cycles of chemotherapy and radiotherapy in various countries over the last two or three years. That is when she decided to head to India and examine different treatment modalities. High dose chemotherapy followed by a rescue with stem cells infused into the bone marrow turned out to be the best option for her, according to Anita Ramesh, of the medical oncology unit, SRMC. This involves drawing stem cells from the patient's own blood, storing it, and then re-infusing the stem cells back to the body, where they reach the bone marrow and start cleansing the system. Wizdan underwent chemotherapy to destroy the diseased lymphoma cells. The stem-cell preparation was later injected through her vein into the blood stream, and they homed in on the bone marrow to replace the cells destroyed by the chemo. Six weeks after the procedure, the stem cells had achieved their task – regeneration, and she was discharged, Dr. Anita said. She has been advised to get local follow-ups done at home, and come back after a year to SRMC for a check up. From a report in THE HINDU, July 20, 2011.

FOUR

The 10-day Ganesh festival (beginning on September 1, 2011) will, for the first time, have 280 girls from Stds VIII and IX serving as purohits. The girls, along with 70 boys, are being groomed in performing puja to install the idol of Lord Ganesha in homes across Mumbai Central. The 350 children from Abhyudaya Nagar, Kalachowkie, for the past month have been practising the mantras and rituals for the big day. The puja classes are conducted every weekend for an hour. There are seven batches of 50 children each. The children are from the nearby Shivaji Vidyalaya, Ahilya Vidyalaya and the King George School at Hindu Colony, Dadar. The idea was the brainchild of Naresh Dahibawkar, the president of the Brihanmumbai Ganesh Utsav Samanvay Samiti (BGUSS). "There are only 3,000 purohits across the city. This year, we expect around 2.2 lakh Ganesha idols to be installed in houses and sarvajanik mandals in Mumbai. People often have to wait for a purohit, but he already has many commitments," said Dahibawkar. "Since we run a coaching class and knew of children who were learning Sanskrit, we asked them if they would be interested. We received an overwhelming response from girls," said Kailash Kadam, in charge of the training programme. The academy even roped in a professional purohit to teach children the right intonation and the correct way to perform the rituals. THE TIMES OF INDIA, August 18, 2011.

FIVE

`Lanjam Thavirtthu, Nenjam Namartthu' (Reject bribes, hold your head high), says a board hanging above Madurai District Collector Shri U.Sagayam's chair in his modest office. That's the code he lives by, even if politicians are incensed they cannot bend him their way—he's been transferred 18 times in the last 20 years—and has made enemies of both superiors and subordinates. Two years ago, as district collector of Namakkal, he voluntarily declared his assets: a bank balance of Rs 7,172 and a house in Madurai worth Rs 9 lakh. Once, when his baby daughter, Yalini, who had breathing problems, was suddenly taken ill, he did not have the Rs 5,000 needed for admitting her to a private hospital. At that time he was deputy commissioner (excise) in Coimbatore and there were 650 liquor licences to be given out. The going bribe for each was rumoured to be Rs 10,000. His years as a collector—he has slept overnight in village schools many times—have convinced him to better the lot of villagers by strengthening the village administrative officer (VAO) system. Many VAOs have never visited villages and often stay miles away from where they should be, in cities. In Namakkal, his action against errant VAOs had them ganging up with politicians to get him transferred. Over 5,000 villagers protested, saying they wouldn't let Sagayam go. The politicians had to retreat.

http://www.outlookindia.com (August 22, 2011)

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PANCHAAMRITAM 217

2011-08-13T06:20:00.001-07:00

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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PANCHAAMRITAM 216

2011-07-30T10:43:00.001-07:00

Vishwa Samvad Kendra, Chennai

PANCHAAMRITAM 216

Pancha is five in Samskritam, Amritam is nectar

Amavaasya/ Kali Yugaabda 5113 / Kara Aadi 14 (July 30, 2011)

ONE

Threat to natural resources and livelihood of Mendha villagers led to the emergence of "Mawa Mate, Mawa Raj" concept. These four words mean "in our village we are the government" in Gondi dialect. Keeping with the objective of the independence struggle people of this village decided to have Gram Swaraj (village democracy) based on Gram Sabha (village assembly). One can gauge the power of Mendha's Gram Sabha from the fact that when P C Alexander, the then Governor of Maharashtra was to visit this village in December 2000, the collector took permission from the Gram Sabha for his visit. Mendha is situated in the Dhanora tehsil of Gadchiroli district (Maharashtra, Bharat), a Naxal-infested area. Over 80 per cent of the village is forest. 450 persons live in this village. Mendha became the first village in the country where standing natural forests are the village's asset (as a result of their sustained peaceful struggle for over 24 years). So, every villager earns an income of Rs 5,000 to 10,000 per bamboo cutting season – as against mere Rs 400 as wages when the Forest Department was the owner. Gandhian Mohan Hirabai Hiralal of Vrikshamitra, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), played a crucial role in bringing the villagers together. Based on his experience in Mendha, Mohan Hirabai quotes Mahatma Gandhi's book Hind Swaraj saying, "Parliamentary democracy is a prostitute which is infertile," as it goes to the powerful and seeks status quo. It is only participatory democracy which can redeem the status of the citizens of our country, he added. If every Indian village follows Mendha form of governance then Gandhi's and Vinoba's dream of an ecologically rich and democratic society can easily be realised. Based on a report in HINDI VIVEK, Mumbai, July 2011 and website http://india.indymedia.org.

TWO

Two decades ago, an old couple, the owners of over 100 acres of land costing some crores, used to live happily on that land with some 200 dogs. They served the dogs as a service to Almighty. After the demise of the husband, the old lady handed over the papers to a karyakarta and she left for heavenly abode in a week with the satisfaction in her heart that she has handed over the property to a correct person. A team of karyakartas started working day and night to turn the dream of the noble lady into reality. Now the dream has come true as Maitreyi Gurukulam. The Gurukulam is situated in a serene atmosphere in Moorkaje village, 4 km off Vittla, Bantwal taluka, Dakshin Kannada district (Karnataka, Bharat). Gurus sit on the platforms and the shishyas sit on the floor, right beneath the huge `cool' green trees. The oral tradition is practiced flawlessly in a modern world where no one understands a concept unless it is presented through visuals. Most of the girls come from rural areas. The admission is open to all Hindu girls above 10 years of age without any consideration for caste and class with only 20 students per batch. The first phase consists of six-year course and the admission to the higher course is given on the successful completion of the first phase. Hindu tradition does not approve commercialization of education, medicine and food; the three essentials in life. Maitreyi Gurukulam being true to tradition, does not charge fees from the students. The project is run under the aegis of a local Trust that is a part of Hindu Seva Pratisthana, Karnataka.www.newsbharati.com

THREE

Indian Navy ship, INS Godavari, deployed in anti-piracy escort operations, has successfully foiled a bid by Somali sea pirates to seize a Greek merchant vessel MV Elinakos in the Gulf of Aden between Yemen and Somalia. INS Godavari readily responded to a distress call from MV Elikanos while escorting four ships in the piracy-hit Gulf of Aden on July 16, 2011 morning, and promptly launched the anti-piracy escort operation. Indian Navy ship deployed a helicopter a mission to locate the skiff used by the eight Somali pirates and also sent a team of Marine commandos to board the pirate boat. However, the Somali pirates abandoned MV Elikanos, the Greek vessel, on seeing the fast approaching naval craft. The German warship Niedersachsen was assisted INS Godavari in this anti-piracy operation. INS Godavari has provided safe escort to 219 ships from various countries in the piracy-hit Gulf of Aden since it started anti-piracy operations since May 25. Last month, INS Godavari escorted MV Islamabad, a Pakistani vessel with 38-member crew. From a report in http://breakingnewsonline.net, July 20, 2011.

FOUR

The number of volunteers registered with Sathya Sai Baba's organisation to render from menial to clerical service exceeded six lakh. Baba's entire work rests on this devoted cadre. A serving IAS officer would give up his job and join him as his clerk; a young IT professional would forgo his fortune, start cleaning the bhajan hall; a businessman heading a billion dollar firm would leave his business and look after one of Baba's projects. A count of less than 1/6^th of the total volunteers (91,753 to be precise) shows this telling break-up — doctors 3,173; engineers 9,760; lawyers/chartered accountants 3,521; professors and teachers 18,226; farmers and workers 41,295; industrialists 11,350; bankers 3,606; judges 71; legislators 167; journalists 261. His trusts have a corpus of several hundreds of crores of rupees. But never did he ask for donations; and he never hesitated to reject the wrong donors. Donors recount how Baba accepted their offerings after making them wait for months to test their sincerity to give. He kept all the money he received in trust for the poor and the needy in his times and in future. Even the undeposited cash and gold in his personal chamber — the Yajur Mandir — made their way to the trusts after him. Shri S Gurumurthy in THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS, July 11, 2011.

FIVE

It happened a fortnight ago. Smt Shanti of Sembedu village near Vellore (Tamilnadu, Bharat) was returning from Bangalore on a bus. She saw the conductor asking two girls to get down, as they were travelling without tickets. Moved by the girls' plight, Shanti, stopped the bus, got down and boarded it again, this time, along with the two girls. She took them to her village and offered them shelter for several days. However, being the wife of a daily wage labourer addicted to alcohol, Shanti couldn't offer shelter to the the girls, aged nine and two, for long and handed them over to the Collector, requesting him to take care of them by arranging for their education and stay. Abhinaya, the elder of the two girls, refused to go back to her home in Bangalore, as she and her sister were being ill-treated by their stepmother."When Shanti akka took me and my little sister Anusha, I was happy that I got rid of my step mother who was torturing us badly," said Abhinaya. Collector Nagarajan handed over them to the district child welfare committee. From THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS, July 26, 2011

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PANCHAAMRITAM 215

2011-07-16T22:30:00.001-07:00

Vishwa Samvad Kendra, Chennai

PANCHAAMRITAM 215

Pancha is five in Samskritam, AmritaJulm is nectar

Poornima/ Kali Yugaabda 5113 / Kara Aani 29 (July 14, 2011)

ONE

The all-India meeting of the Prant Pracharaks (Provincial Organisers) of the RSS was in session at a far off North Eastern town of Tinsukia. News reached Tinsukia that `the Delhi-bound Kalka Mail met with a ghastly accident near Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh, Bharat) on July 10, 2011 around noon. Two general compartments were very badly mangled. Information reaching Tinsukia was that at least 60 people have died and hundreds injured. Till 4 pm the Railway Accident Relief train had not reached the site of the accident'. All Sangh elders at Tinsukia were heartened on hearing the following information: The RSS Swayamsevaks were already there at the site of the accident for several hours helping the railwaymen and other security personnel. They were there at the railway station near the dead bodies. They were there in hospitals where the injured have been transported. They were there even in Kanpur attending to the seriously injured. The key RSS functionary in Kanpur was so busy that he could barely respond to calls from Tinsukia for a minute; he was rushing to the hospital where several injured had arrived. He had already asked a number of Swayamsevaks to reach there anticipating need for blood and other help. When contacted by the karyakarthas in Tinsukia, the district secretary of RSS in the affected area was found busy organising relief at the site along with more than hundred Swayamsevaks. When they reached out to the local head of the organisation, a doctor by profession, he told them that he was busy attending to the injured people in his own hospital as dozens of them had arrived. This is not to suggest that only Swayamsevaks respond in such times of calamity. Many other socially conscious individuals too do. But the Swayamsevaks enjoy a distinct advantage. They are mentally better trained and equipped due to their RSS background to respond to such situations. Bassd on a write up by Shri Ram Madhav of RSS on July 11, 2011 in his blog: http://ram-madhav.blogspot.com

TWO

Any infant that comes into the Vatsalya Gram in Vrindavan (Uttar Pradesh , Bharat) will have a home, a mother, aunt and grandmother. As Sadhvi Rithambara, the founder of the 54-acre ashram, says, "Vatsalya Gram is an orphanage, estranged women's centre and old age home; it is one cohesive unit. It provides people an environment to grow, that people only in well-to-do families get." There are 30 families now staying at Gokulam, a housing complex situated in the ashram. Each family consists of a mother, aunt and grandmother. Each flat in Gokulam consists of one dining room, drawing room, master bedroom, one additional bedroom, bathroom and toilet, kitchen, prayer room and a central courtyard. Each family consists of anywhere between five and 10 children staying with three elders who play the role of mother, aunt and grandmother. The ashram has its own gaushala (cow shed) with 125 cows, whose milk is used to feed infants here. The ashram has a school, Samvid Gurukulam, based on CBSE pattern. There's also a theme park with models of various animals, and of incidents from epics like the Ramayana which are used for providing children moral education. Also in the ashram are a training centre where woman are taught self defence techniques and a shaheed museum with paintings and stories of freedom fighters. Anika Parmanand, of Vatsalya Gram completed her graduation in 2006 and recently got married into a good family in Delhi. Another member, Rohit Parmanand, completed his 12th grade from Bhonsala military school (Maharashtra) and will appear for engineeringentrance exams soon. We will support him till he becomes self-sufficient," says Rithambara. (In 2003 Rithambara moved to Vrindavan). From a report by Shri Tarun Nangia in THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS, 19 June 2011.

THREE

Ten persons, including all seven onboard a small civil chartered aircraft, were killed when the medical ambulance flight to Delhi from Patna crashed into a densely-populated residential area of Faridabad (Haryana, Bharat) in bad weather on May 26, 2011 night. Once he heard of this, Shri Rakesh Tyagi, the district secretary of RSS sent instructions through SMS and phone to swayamsevaks of the city to reach the accident spot. Soon after, dozens of swayamsevaks assembled there. They quickly gathered the bodies of the dead and helped send them quickly to hospital for post mortem. By then it was past midnight. But early in the morning, the swayamsevaks assembled in front of the Government Badshah Khan Hospital. They distributed mineral water bottles among the waiting relatives of the victims. Once the post mortem was over, they brought the bodies out and placed them in the vans. They arranged for the conduct of complete Hindu last rites for Ratnesh and Rahul, both victims hailing from Bihar, and helped cremate them at the smashaan. Ramashankar and Mukesh Chaudary, relatives of Rahul and Ratnesh, said that because of the manner in which the RSS swayamsevaks served them, they never once felt that they were far away in another state. ""These swayamsevaks took upon themselves the responsibility of arranging the last rites in full and carried out the funeral in Faridabad itself. We received love all around that made us feel that we were at home", the relatives said. From a report in DAINIK JAGRAN, May 27, 2011. Also from SANGH MARG (Rohtak, July 2011).

FOUR

What has been missed in the discourse on the wealth at Sri Pamanabha Swami temple in Thituvanandapuram (Kerala, Bharat), hijacked by hype and excitement, is that even when the Travancore royals were in danger of losing their kingdom, they never thought of touching the Lord's wealth. Tipu Sultan, who had invaded Malabar and destroyed many temples, had conquered Thrissur in 1789 and made it his headquarters, posing a threat to Travancore. When Tipu was driving down southwards, the kingdom itself was at risk. This seems to have persuaded Dharma Raja, the then king of Travancore royalty to bury and seal the wealth of the Lord in secret chambers to keep it beyond the reach of the invader. But, in 1790, Tipu withdrew from Thrissur when the British raided Mysore, de-risking Travancore from invasion. Still Dharma Raja and his successors opted to keep the Lord's treasure buried, safe from risk of loot. The royalty had continued to keep it buried so that it ever remained the wealth of the Lord; it did not unseal it even after the danger had diminished. This shows the unmatched height of honesty and integrity of the trustees, the royal family. From an essay by Shri S Gurumurthy in THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS, July 7, 2011.

FIVE

Even as the anti-Posco and pro-Posco activists have adopted contradictory stands in regard to land acquisition at villages in Kujanga area for the biggest FDI in the State, in a remarkable instance of camaraderie, on July 4, 2011 both groups were found pulling the chariot of Lord Jagannath in Kunjabihari Pitha, locally known as Subhadra Kshetra at Gadakujang village (Orissa, Bharat). The annual Rath Yatra celebration in Gadakujanga village is unique in the way that the chariot is pulled a day after the Rath Yatra in Puri and the celebration is observed for two consecutive days. Temple management sources said that thousands of devotees and villagers from Gadakujang, Nuagaon, Govindapur, Polang, Dhinkia and the surrounding areas, including residents from Paradeep outskirts, took part in the chariot pulling. Interestingly, shedding past enmity and hostility over the proposed controversial Posco project, both the supporters and opponents congregated at the venue and joined hands with each other to pull the chariot.It may be mentioned here that the supporters and protesters of Posco were not allowed to enter each other's villages but on the auspicious Rath Yatra day, the prohibition had been lifted and, reportedly, they participated in the festival with great enthusiasm. The unity among the antagonistic groups surprised many as last year a very few people from Dhinkia village had participated in the festival. "We allowed the Posco opponents to participate in the festival as it is a matter of religious congregation which has nothing to do with the Posco controversy," informed a pro-Posco leader and Nuagaon gram panchayat samiti member Soumendra Nayak. Anti-Posco leader and former Dhinkia GP Sarpanch Sisir Mohapatra said that the Rath Yatra of Gadakujanga has a rich tradition and spiritual heritage, which enjoys the status at par with Puri, Kendrapada, Baripada and Keonjhar. So the Posco controversy can in no way deter people from following the traditions and customs. From a report in DAILY PIONEER, July 5, 2011.

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PANCHAAMRITAM 214

2011-07-01T02:16:00.001-07:00

Vishwa Samvad Kendra, Chennai

PANCHAAMRITAM 214

Pancha is five in Samskritam, AmritaJulm is nectar

Amavaasya/ Kali Yugaabda 5113 / Kara Aani 16 (July 1, 2011)

ONE

Money is what drives the world so say people, but Babanrao Mhaske aged around 58 doesn't believe in the dictum. The villager hasn't touched currency for over 20 years as he thinks it is the root of all evils. A farm labourer from Aadas village of Kaij tehsil in Beed district (Maharashtra, Bharat), Mhaske took the oath 22 years back, something that he continues to follow till date. Mhaske had witnessed a dispute over money which resulted in the death of a few persons 22 years back. It was then that he made a resolution not to touch money, as he thought that money is the root of all the trouble. He said: "I avoid having tea and meals outside my house, as it would compel me to breach my commitment". Mhaske stays with his wife and two sons in the village. Whenever he goes outside the village, Mhaske takes his son or an acquaintance along with him, so that he does not need to touch money during the travel. Interestingly, Mhaske's landlord hands over his monthly salary straight to his family. However, this is not all. Mhaske had been offered a house in his village under a government housing scheme about 5 years back. But he squarely refused to accept a new house as he said that he already possessed one and it was enough for him. PTI / www.dnaindia.com , June 20, 2011. (Idea: Smt Vasantha)

TWO

Panchakoshi Primary School of Odare, Chitre-1, Parbat (Nepal) has become a model school in the district ensuring effective management and a good academic environment. The school has a well-maintained garden. The students clean the classrooms and school premises before they line up for prayer every day. The toilets are also always clean. The teachers, including head teacher Shushila Gurung, join the students in cleaning the classrooms. Unlike other schools, this school in the remote village has a clean environment, punctual teachers and students, well-managed classrooms. The school has become a shining example of how a government school can be an excellent academic centre if there is collaboration among teachers, students and guardians. "I have realised that many things can be changed if we think about the school all the time," said teacher Madhusudan Adhikari. THE HIMALAYAN TIMES (Nepal), May 8, 2011.

THREE

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Jayanagar unit, in Bangaluru (Karnataka, Bharat) arranged a free eye check up and surgery camp on June 26, 2011 at Gottigere, a semi rural neighbourhood. The camp was attended by 607 villagers who could not afford expensive hospitals for their eye check up & vision related ailments. Apart from eye checkups to diagnose the specific cause and health status of eyes, the villagers were advised about the mineral-nutrient requirements for maintaining health of eyes. In this camp, 44 villagers in all were operated upon to remove cataract. In addition, free spectacles were distributed to 274 patients. The camp was organised with the help of medical staff of Narayana Nethralaya, Bangalore. From Vishwa Samvad Kendra, Bengaluru at www.newsbharati.com, June 28, 2011.

FOUR

Smt Panjamirtham, wife of Manikandan of Sangolikuppam in Cuddalore district (Tamilnadu, Bharat) went to a grove of Cashew trees accompanied by her 11 year old son Madankumar and another woman of the village on June 25, 2011. A swarm of `Kathandu' bees attacked the boy. The bite of these bees is generally dangerous. So, Panjamirtham quickly covered her son with her saree to protect him from the bees. Now, the bees started attacking the mother. Both mother and son fell unconscious. Help came when the woman accompanying them raised an alarm. Panjamirtham and her son were admitted to the government hospital in Cuddalore and later shifted to Puducherry. But Panjamirtham succumbed to the poisonous bite, while her son is in the intensive care unit. DINAMALAR, June 27, 2011.

FIVE

A woman from Mhow (Madhya Pradesh, Bharat) Smt Santosh Agrawal, collects old newspapers and magazines from the houses of her friends; she sends them to Mahaveer International, Indore. The company sells these papers to those units which recycle the scrap. The company purchases kits for newborn babies out of the money. The kit consists of clothes for the newborn baby, mosquito net, towels, diapers, 3 kg Dalia (broken wheat) rich in protein and medicines for the mother. Santosh Agrawal who is also one of the directors of PATH, a road construction company, takes time out from her busy schedule on every Wednesday to visit the Government Hospital in Mhow and gives away these baby kit to the mothers. She distributes 15 kits every Wednesday to mothers in the hospital. Agrawal is doing this noble work since two years. The recycling of newspapers help the environment as well, says Santosh. Other members of Mahaveer International in Indore collect newspapers and distribute Kits in four government hospitals of Indore. From a report by Shri Vikas Tyagi in DAILY PIONEER, May 21, 2011.

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PANCHAAMRITAM 213

2011-06-17T08:04:00.001-07:00

Vishwa Samvad Kendra, Chennai

PANCHAAMRITAM 213

Pancha is five in Samskritam, Amritam is nectar

Poornima/ Kali Yugaabda 5113 / Kara Vaikasi 32 (June 15, 2011)

ONE

Smt Tulasi Munda, 64, has set up 20 schools in inaccessible hilly areas in Orissa's tribal belt. But she has never been to school. There were none in her village near Keonjhar town. The turning point came when as a teenager she met social worker Malati Choudhury. "She told us to be self-reliant along Gandhian lines. I thought poverty and ignorance can't be removed unless people are educated." Her first school, considered the model, in Serenda in Keonjhar district, is today a high school with hostel. Except this one, all are primary schools. Some have no sheds and run under trees, some in verandas of village homes. School-hours change as per parents' convenience, since the kids help their parents who work in mines or as labourers at construction sites. Tulasi's funds come mostly from individuals. "I plead with individuals to donate, go round villages and seek both money and material. No community service can yield positive result without people's direct involvement." Tulasi's teachers get small salaries but she says, "Dedication is key". "They need salaries, are responsible for their families. But they're motivated and committed, without which no one can take up such work." She says she's refused politicians who tried to get her to canvass, has refused a nomination to Rajya Sabha too. This Padma Shri awardee (2001) has toured with Vinoba Bhave. Her decision not to marry and work to educate children faced opposition from her family. "But I stuck to my ground," says Tulasi and adds, "I am happy that my schools have saved many poor children from turning beggars." Based on a report by Shri Rajaram Satapathy in THE TIMES OF INDIA, June 16, 2011.

TWO

The rope used to hoist the flag during the Devi Bagavathi Amman temple festival in Kanyakumari (Tamilnadu, Bharat) is offered by a Christian fisherman's family. The 10-day Vaikasi festival began on June 4 and as per tradition, the rope for hoisting the temple flag was offered by 57-year-old fisherman, Subash. For seven generations, his family, otherwise called the `Kailiyaar' family, has been offering the rope for this temple ritual. According to Sahitya Akademi awardee and son of the soil Ponneelan, hundreds of years ago an old fisherwoman named `Kailiyamma' after selling fish went to collect dry cow dung from a rock, where the Vivekananda rock is now situated. At that time a little girl sitting near the rock, asked Kailiyamma to lift her and drop her at a distance. Kailiyamma, who was tired, refused but the child urged her and said she could drop her at any place if she found her weight too heavy to bear. After walking some yards with the girl, she found the child's weight too heavy and dropped her. Immediately, the child turned into a young woman and offered Kailiyama a garland and a gold ornament and asked her to choose whatever she likes. Kailliyamma chose the garland. The girl child, who was Devi Bagavathi Amman, offered Kailiyamma the first rights in her temple. The heirs of Kailiyamma were also given first rights and were allowed to give the ropes for hoisting the temple flag. "Earlier, we used to make the rope here, but now we buy the rope from shops in Nagercoil", said Subash who bought the rope this year. The rope is considered sacred and after it is bought from Nagercoil, it is not even placed on the floor during travel. "The night before the flag hoisting ceremony, after offering poojas, I take the rope on my head and go along with the officials to the temple," said Subash. Based on a report by Shri S Mahesh in THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS, June 14, 2011.

THREE

It is a matter of grave concern that even in this 21st century there are many misconceptions in the society about leprosy patients. Thousands of such patients daily come to Hardwar. In India it is believed that if you die on the bank of river Ganga, all your sins get washed away and `mukti' is attained. With this hope, these people wait for death on the bank of Ganges. Around 1986, Shri Ashish Gautam, an ex-pracharak of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), who visited Hardwar for a holy dip, saw thousands of leprosy-hit people and their plight dejected him. He decided to dedicate his whole life for these people. Ashish Gautamji made the arrangement of bandage and started visiting the slums for their dressing. He also started giving them medicines. Because of this noble work, people slowly started getting associated with him. Some doctors also joined him. Some patients took training regarding primary treatment. Thus the foundation of Divya Prem Seva Mission was laid. Because of regular treatment, the patients visiting the hospital started increasing. Ashish Gautamji says,"Bringing about social change is not the responsibility of government alone. The mission runs totally on the basis of hard work of the karyakartas and money donated by the common man. Leprosy is not a contagious disease. It is totally curable." (Contact: Divya Prem Seva Mission, Seva Kunj, Chhandi Ghat, Hardwar 249408, Uttarakhand, (India). Phone : 01334-222211). Source: http://www.newsbharati.com/Sewa.aspx#

FOUR

The Panchayat Union School at Kumalankuttai, just three furlongs away from the Collectorate on Perundurai Road, Erode (Tamilnadu, Bharat) has A Gopika, daughter of the district VVIP -Collector Shri R Anandakumar, on its rolls. Though the school is located in an urban area it is maintained by the Erode Panchayat Union. The school, whose strength is expected to increase from 320 to 330 this year, has nine teachers, including headmistress S Rani. Significantly, Dr Anandakumar and his wife, Dr M Shrividya, stood in the queue for admission at around 10.30 am and went through the normal procedure. After some teachers' insistence, he visited the HM's room for enrolment. Anandakumar enquired whether his daughter will be given the free uniform. He was informed that uniform is issued to only the kids who take noon meal in the school. The Collector requested the HM to give noon meal to his child too. From reports in THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS and DINAMALAR, June 16, 2011.

FIVE

Lakhs of devotees thronged to the pilgrim city of Jagannath Puri (Orissa, Bharat) braving the incessant monsoon rain and witnessed the bathing ceremony of the Lord Jagannath popularly called Snan Purnima on June 15, 2011. This is a major ritual of the lords before the annual Rath Yatra. As per the special programme for the lunar eclipse the deities Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra along with Sudarshan and Madanmohan amidst chanting of "Jai Jagannath!" and a concert of drums, cymbals, bugles and ghantas were escorted out of the sanctum sanctorum of the Garbhagruha to the bathing altar. The altar is a huge raised platform. Priests consecrated the water brought from the sacred golden well located inside the temple complex. The deities were accorded 108 pitchers of aromatic water bath. After the bathing ceremony was over, the deities were dressed in new clothing. The Gajapati King Dibyasingh Deb, the foremost servitor of the lord, came in a procession and conducted the Chherapahanra (sweeping the floor around the deities). Late in the night on June 16, the deities would be taken to a solitary place in the temple called Anasar ghar (room for the sick) where the deities would recline to bed for fifteen days supposedly suffering from fever. During the sick period the temple Vaidya (physician of the deities) treats them with herbal medicines and the deities would live on fruit diet served by the Daita servitors. Shri Prasanta Mahapatra in DAILY PIONEER, June 16 2011.

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PANCHAAMRITAM 212

2011-06-03T06:34:00.001-07:00

Vishwa Samvad Kendra, Chennai

PANCHAAMRITAM 212

Pancha is five in Samskritam, Amritam is nectar

Amaavaasya/ Kali Yugaabda 5113 / Kara Vaikasi 18 (June 1, 2011)

ONE

Shashi Kumar, Ranjith Mukundan, Venkatesh Seshasayee and Praveen Nale – these four software engineers, former employees of Wipro in Bangalore, quit their jobs four months ago and turned entrepreneurs. They set up a milk dairy in Kodihalli village of Channarayapatna taluk of Hassan district (Karnataka, Bharat). The milk dairy will be set up at a cost of Rs 15 crore on 24 acres, and 300 marginal farmers (those with less than 4.5 acres of land) will be selected within a 15-sqkm radius of Kodihalli village to supply milk to the dairy. "The farmers will be educated on modern cattle-rearing methods, milking machines and increasing milk production. The dairy will be set up in five months and we will be recruiting 500 villagers," says Ranjith Mukundan. "The company will help the farmers get loans from banks to set up satellite farms and purchase cows. The milkman will sell milk directly to our company without any middlemen, the transportation of milk and regular medical check-ups of cows will be free for milkmen registered with our company," he added. The advantages of setting up satellite farms are many - each will be equipped with sensors, GPS, pedometers and other equipment to monitor and trace the movements of cows, how much milk a cow produces every day, and to check the animals' body temperature and keep tabs on their health, Ranjith added. Based on a report by Shri Pavan M V in THE TIMES OF INDIA, May 24, 2011.

TWO

A village in Ettimangalam in Melur block, Madurai district (Tamilnadu, Bharat) has been adjudged the best in the district as no form of untouchability has been reported from there. It is also said to have fared better than other villages in terms of communal harmony. Commending the efforts made by the villagers, District Collector U Sagayam presented a cheque of `Rs 2 lakh to the Panchayat president Raguram at the grievances redressal day meeting. THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS, May 24, 2011.

THREE

Meet Shri Mansukh Prajapati. He comes from a potter's family of Rajkot (Gujarat, Bharat). `Mitticool', the refrigerator designed and produced by this under – matric is quite popular today. The earthen fridge does not require electricity and it is cheap, just above Rs 2,500 in the year 2004 when he marketed it. In 2005 Mansukh came up with his earthern `non stick' thawa which was certified by Tata Chemicals. It is the Rs 350 earthen water filter that Mansukh brought out in 1995, that paved the way for the series of innovations by this rural genius. No wonder he won accolades from Dr. Abdul Kalam, a former President of India as well as Narendra Modi, Gujarat Chief Minister. (Mansukh can be contacted at info@mitticool.in) Based on a report by Shri Naresh Bhai in SAMBHASHANA SANDESHAH, Samskrit monthly, June 2011.

FOUR

N Umapathy, a club footballer, was anguished at the growing number of youngsters in his slum in Vyasarpadi, North Chennai (Tamilnadu, Bharat) turning to bad habits. And came the idea by which he formed Slum Children Sports Talent Education Development Society (SCSTEDS) in 2000. "Our plan was to divert the attention of slum children from bad things. To attract their attention, we used football." Said Umapathy. Over the years, the society has changed lives of over 6,000 children. "Ever since the society was formed, grooming the children in football and other sports has changed their mindsets", says N Thangaraj, who coaches the children along with Umapathy. "Besides instilling the spirit of game and competition in them, we make the children reach the ground on time to train and it makes them disciplined in schools too," adds Thangaraj. From a report by Shri G. Saravanan in THE NEW SUNDAY EXPRESS, May 22, 2011.

FIVE

Ayurveda, the most ancient and important system of medicine in India, is important to modern natural medicine proponents. A group in Austria wants to make a renewed effort to explore Ayurveda. And they're doing is using, of all things, evolutionary biology. The chosen document is Charakasamhita: what historians regard as the most ancient and important of Ayurvedic treatises. Initially passed down through oral tradition, the subsequently written records of the Charakasamhita were repeatedly copied in the course of nearly two thousand years of history, leading to changes in the wording, which means that today, there are diverging manuscripts. Computer-aided analyses help determine the common source of the different versions of the text. Based on the analyses and using methods of textual criticism, they say their project goal, the reconstruction of a version of the Carakasamhita that is closer to its original form, can be realized. This "critical edition" will then allow for content-related studies with regard to the history of Indian medicine, philosophy, religion and culture, as reflected in the Carakasamhita. University of Vienna regards itself as a leading center of critical editions and translations of ancient Indian Sanskrit writings and this project is funded by the Austrian Science Fund. http://www.science20.com/profile/news_staff May 30, 2011.

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PANCHAAMRITAM 211

2011-05-19T06:49:00.001-07:00

Vishwa Samvad Kendra, Chennai

PANCHAAMRITAM 211

Pancha is five in Samskritam, Amritam is nectar

Poornima / Kali Yugaabda 5113 / Kara Vaikasi 3 (May 17, 2011)

ONE

Two samples of success in the field of education achieved by Hindutva-inspired social activists in Tamilnadu, Bharat have come to light. ONE: Sandhya, the student of Vivekananda Educational Society, (studying plus two in the CBSE stream in the Smt. Ramkumar Devi Fomra Vivekananda Vidyalaya, Chromepet, Chennai) scored the HIGHEST MARKS in Tamilnadu i.e. 1191/1200 marks. She took Samskritam as her language paper. (According to the State Government policy, Rekha, a student from Vijay Vidyalaya, Hosur who scored 1190/1200 marks has been declared as STATE FIRST as she took Tamil as her language paper). The then state minister Shri T.M. Anbarasan, Pallavapuram Municipal Chairman Shri E. Karunannidhi, VES Secretary Shri T. Chakravarthi, Vidya Bharati State Organising Secretary Shri Su. Viswanathan, School Correspondent Shri R.Ravindran school Principal Smt Prema were among those who felicitated Sandhya and other top scorers of the school. At a function in the school premises on May 11, 2011. TWO: N. Shyamkumar studied in Sevabharathi Vivekananda Free tution centre at Jain Nagar, Hasthinapuram, Chromepet, Chennai. He scored 1167/1200. He studied upto 10th in Tamil Medium and appeared for Plus Two exam in English Medium (Ahobila Mutt Oriental Higher Secondary School, Mambalam, Chennai). Shyamkumar opted for Samskritam as First language. He scored 200 / 200 in Commerce as well as in.Accountancy. Based on a report by RPM in VIJAYABHARATHAM, MAY 27, 2011 - and an email from Shri Sundaramahalingam of Chrompet.

TWO

Chintamani Jadhav and Sunil Pakdhare, constables attached to the Worli traffic police department (Maharashtra, Bharat), recently found Rs 28.5 lakh in a stolen vehicle that they recovered. On April 25, Jadhav and Pakdhare were patrolling the area and found an Innova parked in a No Parking zone.They towed the vehicle away to their chowky and started looking for the owner. Even two days after the vehicle was recovered, no one came forward to claim it. The constables broke into the boot to see if they could identify the owner and were stunned to see Rs 28 lakh stashed in a suitcase."The constables could have easily taken the cash. But they chose to trace the owner of the vehicle and surrender the amount with the department," said Shivaji Tazalpurkar, senior police inspector of Worli Traffic Division. DCP Nandkumar Chaughule has declared a cash award of Rs 1,000 each to Jadhav and Pakdhare. As it turned out, the car was registered in the name of Vidya Vinit Godambe, owner of a travel agency near MIG Club in Bandra (E). On April 23, Godambe had registered a complaint of a missing Innova, saying her vehicle was stolen from a parking lot in Lower Parel. From a report by Shri Vinay Dalvi MUMBAI MIRROR, April 28, 2011.

THREE

She was just three days old, when she was left to die in a lonely alley in the temple town of Haridwar (Uttarakhand, Bharat). Dumped and forgotten, she lay by the roadside crying and gasping for breath amid the ebb and flow of the Ganga nearby. But destiny had something else in store. Soma Sharan was picked by a good Samaritan. That was 1993. And from an orphanage in Haridwar to a heady Los Angeles to being the prestigious Gates Millennium scholar - it's been a giant leap of fate for the 18-year-old girl. Eight years later, it's homecoming for Soma Sharan. She has come to India to be with her 70 brothers and sisters. Well, she has a very large family at Sri Ram Ashram, Haridwar, where she grew up after being abandoned. The Sri Ram Ashram, where Sharan stayed till she was 10, was started by Baba Hari Dass Babaji - who, in 1970, had gone to America to teach yoga. Sharan will be studying International Development and hopes to do a PhD. She wants to start non-profit organizations around the world and help destitute children. She'll return to India every year. From a report by Smt Shreya Roy Chowdhury in THE TIMES OF INDIA, April 30, 2011.

FOUR

RASHTRA Sevika Samiti added another feather to its crown, when the Akhand Suryanamaskar Yajna conducted by it during the birth centenary year celebration of Vandaniya Saraswati Apte, joined the Limca Book of Records. The 100 hour marathon Surya-namsakars were conducted by 10,000 Sevikas of Goa and Maharashtra. The event was organised by Paschim Kshetra unit of the Rashtra Sevika Samiti in 2009.The news to this effect has been published in the latest edition of the Limca Book of Records which was released on March 29, 2011 in New Delhi. (Akhand Suryanamaskar Yajna began at 6 am on June 25, 2009 and concluded at 10 am on June 29. The exercise was performed continuously during day and night (with short intervals of five minutes) at 100 different places of Maharashtra and Goa. The performance was open for persons of aged between 3 to 90 years including physically challenged. The message was `Healthy Mind in a Healthy Body'). From ORGANISER, May 1, 2011.

FIVE

Large stretches on the highway between Koraput and Malkangiri districts in southern Odisha remain isolated. This highway has been the target of large number of blasts from Maoists. As a result, it is now dotted with camps of the Border Security Force and the Central Reserve Police Force. It is not too difficult to spot the contrasting images here. In pockets, adivasi women wearing vermillion marks on their foreheads can be seen ferrying their children to school. For a long time, Christian missionaries and NGOs were the only entities that reached out to adivasis in Odisha, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand and Northeastern states, apart from the limited engagement of state governments. But, now another juggernaut is rolling in this ideological melting pot, where the security forces and insurgent groups, like Maoists, have taken well-defined positions. It is well known that the Sangh parivar has been trying to establish itself in the tribal areas for a long while. But, the pace at which it is growing has become phenomenal. The most successful of its projects is the Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation that runs 34,343 schools which, collectively, have 9,62,485 students. VHP's Sewa Trust has 3,266 educational projects spread across the country. An astonishing element about the Sangh parivar's rapid mobilisation drive is their reach into the regions that have well-rooted ideological opponents. From a report by Shri G Vishnu in TEHELKA, April 20, 2011.

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PANCHAAMRITAM 210

2011-05-14T08:49:00.001-07:00

Vishwa Samvad Kendra, Chennai

PANCHAAMRITAM 210

Pancha is five in Samskritam, Amritam is nectar

Amaavaasya/ Kali Yugaabda 5113 / Kara Chithirai 19 (May 2, 2011)

ONE

Famed to be one of the Samskrit villages in India, Mathur village in Shimoga (Karnataka, Bharat) will add another feather in its cap for soon becoming the first village in the country to be completely illuminated by Light Emitting Diodes (LED) lamps. Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Limited (KREDL) is the agency which will light up this village. "KREDL has chosen this village because of its uniqueness, where everyone in the village speaks Samskrit. At least 250 houses and 75 streetlights will switch over to LEDs. "The project is likely to bring down the consumption by 50%," sources said. H Nagana Gouda, assistant general manager, KREDL said: "We chose this village because of its uniqueness of being called a Samskrit Village." Based on a report by Smt Jayashree Nandi & Senthalir S in THE TIMES OF INDIA, June 12, 2010.

TWO

The latest spy saga between India and Pakistan that unveiled a few kilometres away from the Mohali stadium (Punjab, Bharat) while the two sides played the World Cup semi final has an unlikely hero — an Indian Army soldier from Kashmir Valley. According to sources, it was the quick reflexes of the soldier that led to the dramatic detention of a Pakistan high commission driver in Chandigarh, a few kilometres away from where Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart, Yousuf Raza Gilani, were meeting. The driver offered money to him for divulging military details. According to sources, the soldier used quick thinking to trap the driver. He told the Pakistani spy that though he may not have any valuable information, he could put him in touch with other Army personnel who could provide sensitive information. On the pretext of introducing him to other personnel, the soldier walked the Pakistani driver to his Army unit. When they were just metres away from the gate, the soldier caught hold of the driver and shouted for help. His colleagues then assisted him in overpowering the driver. In the scuffle, the driver was mildly injured. Sources indicated that the Indian soldier could be recommended for appropriate military commendation. Based on a report by Shri Josy Joseph in THE TIMES OF INDIA, April 18, 2011.

THREE

A farmer from Tandia village in Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh, Bharat) has a solution to India's burgeoning food crisis. Prakash Singh Raghuvanshi's innovation could work wonders. He has single-handedly developed a number of high yielding, nutritious and disease-resistant varieties of wheat, paddy, pigeon pea (tur dal) and mustard, which can also withstand adverse weather changes. Financial problems and falling crop yield prompted him to think about starting a seed bank of the best varieties of crops. It has been a relentless crusade of over five years, despite his lack of formal education, financial problems, illness, and weak eyesight to develop the best quality seeds in India. "I believe that God has given me the power to help other farmers and help my country be self-sufficient in foodgrain production. Every variety I developed has a yield of 20-40 per cent more than the ones available in the market. I can challenge anyone to grow a better variety of seed beside my plot," says 50-year-old Prakash Singh, who is ushering in a unique green revolution by supplying seeds free of cost to hundreds of thousands of farmers across India. As an indigenous creator of a seed bank, he has sent samples of seeds to the Prime Minister's Office, the Ministry of Agriculture and the rice research institute in Hyderabad. While he has applied for a patent for the different varieties of seeds, he has also distributed the seeds free of cost to over 20 lakh (2 million) farmers across Maharashtra, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Chhattishgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal. "In the Sangli district of Maharashtra, some poor farmers have become rich by using only my seeds. They are now selling the seeds to other farmers in the District." Prakash says. He also trains farmers in different aspects of plant breeding and farming techniques. You can send an e-mail to Prakash Singh at kudaratraghuvanshi@hotmail.com. Mobile: 09956 941993. http://business.rediff.com , September 22, 2010

FOUR

World's oldest wooden warship afloat – now anchored in Portsmouth Harbour (UK) - is a worthy memorial to the golden age of Indian shipbuilding. It entered Bombay Harbour in 1817. Since then, she has undergone a strict survey each year, and the experts say she is as sound in her timbers as the day she was built. The ship is regarded as a training vessel and British schoolchildren come on a course of instruction – including boat trips, climbing the rigging, exploring the decks below and picnics. From the '50 years ago' column of THE NEW SUNDAY EXPRESS, April 24, 2011.

FIVE

Shri Janardan Datar works as a Cashier in a Nagpur (Maharashtrra, Bharat) bank. One evening, as he was engaged in tallying the transactions of the day, he noticed an excess of three hundred rupees in the denomination of 100 rupee notes. He noted down the residential addresses of those who made deposits in that denomination during the day. He knocked at many doors. Thus he could locate the one - a college professor - who had paid in excess. Datar gave the three currency notes to the gentleman and then alone went home. Normally he reaches home at 5.30 PM. That day it was 8.30 PM when he reached home. To lessen the suffering of the one who had lost his money, Datar did not mind walking that extra mile, literally. Based on a report in TARUN BHARAT Marathi daily, reproduced in VIJAYABHARATAM (Tamil weekly), June 18, 1993.

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PANCHAAMRITAM 209

2011-04-18T04:55:00.001-07:00

Vishwa Samvad Kendra, Chennai

PANCHAAMRITAM 209

Pancha is five in Samskritam, Amritam is nectar

Poornima/ Kali Yugaabda 5113 / Kara Chithirai 4 (April 17, 2011)

ONE

It was Saturday, 16 April 2011. About 2,00,000 people watched in utter astonishment as the starry night suddenly turned cloudy and a heavy downpour, accompanied by strong winds, drenched the `yagasala' altar in Panjal, near Shoranur (Kerala, Bharat) after it was set afire to mark the ceremonial end of Athirathram, the ancient Vedic fire ritual. They erupted into thunderous applause as the first drops of the rain fell. Rain appeared miraculously because the weather throughout the day was blistering hot and dry and the sky remained starry and clear in the evening. It changed in five minutes as the sky turned dark and a strong wind built up at around 9.30 p.m. `The rain was caused by the strong convection current generated by the smoke rising from the altar and the continuous chanting of the mantras,' V.P.N. Namboodiri, head of the research team of the Panjal Athirathram. The 12-day fire ritual for peace, purification, fertility, health and rain began April 4. It was organised by a local non-profit group Varthathe Trust to revive dying Vedic traditions in the country. The village was host to four major Athirathrams in 1901, 1918, 1956 and 1975. http://www.asianetindia.com/news/panjal-athirathram-ritual-concludes_261127.html

TWO

That was 27 years ago. Shri Dadaji Khobragade of Nanded Fakir village in Chandrapur district (Maharashtra, Bharat) noticed yellow seeds in three spikes of a paddy stalk in his field. Intrigued by the freak harvest, he preserved the grains. He subsequently planted them in a six-foot square plot, which he covered with thorny branches to keep foraging animals away. As the plants began to mature, he noticed that they had a firm kom, or ear, with straight grains. His doubts were confirmed when he harvested 250 grams of the paddy. "The grains were plentiful in each kom," he recalls. Realising that he had chanced upon a special rice variety, he continued the experiment, and this time he got 10 kilograms of paddy. The family cooked the rice and marvelled at its taste. In 1988, Khobragade sowed 4 kg of seeds in a 10-foot square plot and harvested 400 kg of paddy. The following year, he sowed about 100 kg of seeds and got 90 bags of paddy. He shared the harvested paddy with other farmers, and they too began sowing the new-found rice variety. After five years of research, Khobragade developed a variety of short-grained paddy that had an average yield of 40-45 quintals a hectare with a recovery rate of 80 per cent. The rice was aromatic and had a high cooking quality. Khobragade named the new variety HMT, on an impulse, after the brand of wristwatch he was wearing when he went to sell the first bag of paddy in the market. HMT went on to become one of India's most popular varieties and is sown across five States on at least one lakh acres (one acre = 0.4 hectare). Khobragade was 45 years old when he developed HMT. He is now 72. In the intervening years, he developed eight more varieties of paddy. He likens the rice varieties to his children. Vijay Waghmare, Collector of Chandrapur district, said that the Department of Agriculture was assisting Khobragade with developing his latest variety so that he followed certain procedures that would enable him to patent the variety. From FRONTLINE, January 15-28, 2011.

THREE

Smt Uma Devi works as a science teacher in the Narayani Baalika High School, Patna (Bihar, Bharat). Every day she comes to school by train. One day, she left her hand bag in the train. The bag contained Rs 4,000 in cash, her mobile phone costing Rs 2,000, house key bunch, her spectacles, medicine, etc. She realized that her bag was missing only after reaching home. She almost fainted. But gathering her wits, she dialed her mobile number. The voice on the other end reassured her that her property will be duly handed over to her soon. It so happened that the bag was in the possession of a Swayamsevak of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Shri Ananda Kumar (26), a resident of Kashmiri Chowk, Nalanda district. Within a few days, Ananda Kumar visited the Narayani Baalika High School, collected the residential address of Uma Devi, reached the teacher's house, accompanied by a Swayamsevak of the Rajendra Nagar Shakha and handed over the bag to her with all its contents. SAMVAD DARSHAN, Hindi fortnightly, Patna; March (I) 2011.

FOUR

Masthamma is a 65-yearold Soliga tribal healer with a vast knowledge of herbal medicines; shelives in Hebbal, Mysore district (Karnataka, Bharat). The popularity of this illiterate miwife spread far and wide after she launched a campaign against Caesarean sections, by naturally delivering more than 2,000 babies. She claims zero mortality of mothers and babies in the last 40 years. When husband Arasayya, an agricultural labourer, was forced out along with other tribals from their forest habitat in early 70's, she was forced to follow her parents into becoming a midwife. Over the years her fame spread through word of mouth across the state. Now many people in cities want her to stay over and take care of their pregnant daughters. She advises pregnant women to be active, and deliver while squatting. Though struggling to make ends meet, Masthamma is determined to pass her knowledge of herbal medicines to her daughter Shivamma to carry on her legacy.

THE NEW SUNDAY EXPRESS (Magazine) April 10, 2011.

Read this as well. This one is from PANCHAAMRITAM 82: "Smt. Kanha Devi of Muzaffarpur (Bihar, Bharat) has helped 10,000 infants to land on this planet safely during the last two decades. Yes, she practices midwifery. Not a single case out of the 10,000 deliveries she attended on was a failure. The highlight is that she is blind since birth. Her husband forsake her. But she chose not to rue her fate. Today she is a much sought after dhai in her neighbourhood.(Based on a clipping telecast by ND TV- 24/7 news channel on February 10, 2006)".

FIVE

The warmth and generosity of Chennaites has given 36-year- old teacher Smt Kiyomi Tanaka, born in Kyoto, Japan, comfort. Kiyomi has been living in Ambattur since June 2008. She teaches Japanese to the students of the Soka Ikeda College of Arts and Science for Women, Manapakkam. The institute has strong ties with Japan and regularly receives Japanese students as part of its foreign exchange programme. They also send their own students to study at the Soka University in Tokyo. Kiyomi had just completed her class when one of her students informed her about the earthquake and the tsunami. "I didn't know about the news initially, but after that my phone had not stopped stop ringing," she says. "Many of my Tamil friends were calling to ask me if my family was doing ok. Even the cleaners and drivers at the school, who do not know English, stopped me in the hallway to ask me if my loved ones were fine. I feel very fortunate to be here with such nice people." From a report by Will Date in THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS, March 21, 2011.

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PANCHAAMRITAM 208

2011-04-04T05:57:00.001-07:00

Vishwa Samvad Kendra, Chennai

PANCHAAMRITAM 208

Pancha is five in Samskritam, Amritam is nectar

Amavaasya/ Kali Yugaabda 5112 / Vikruti Panguni 20 (April 3, 2011)

ONE

Siddhagiri Museum is located at Kaneri village, about 10 kms away from Kolhapur (Maharashtra, Bharat) and 4 kms off the `Pune-Banglore' highway - the national express highway no.4. It has been built by the 1,000 year old Siddhagiri Ashram. The artificial caves contain tableaux which depict the scientific tradition of ancient Bharat including Bhgiratha, the first engineer of the world, Charaka, the ancient chemist, Aryabhatta, the astronomer par excellence, etc. All are shown immersed in their work. The creations of great Sanskrit scholars are also on display. The tableaux showing scenes of village life are real eyecatchers. "Our village was totally self reliant before the arrival of the Britishers", said Swami Siddheswar, the creator of this unique museum. The income from the museum is spent on the Siddhagiri hospital and that enables the people of the nearby villages to save money on treatment, informs the Swami.

RASHTRA DEV, Hindi fortnightly, Dehra Dun, February 15, 2011.

TWO

There was a sense of disbelief among ministers and ambassadors from diverse nations when the chairperson of the 11th Info-Poverty World Conference held at the United Nations introduced the jeans-clad Smt Chhavi Rajawat as head (sarpanch) of Soda village, 60 km from Jaipur (Rajasthan, Bhaart). 30-year-old Chhavi, India's youngest and the only MBA to become a village head - the position mostly occupied by elders, quit her senior management position with Bharti-Tele Ventures of Airtel Group to serve her beloved villagers as sarpanch. (Chhavi participated in a panel discussion at the two-day meet at the UN on March 24 and 25, 2011 on how civil society can implement its actions and spoke on the role of civil society in fighting poverty and promoting development). It is necessary to re-think through various strategies of action that includes new technologies like e-services in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in an era where resources have become limited, she told the delegates of the international conference. "If India continues to make progress at the same pace as it has for the past 65 years since independence, it just won't be good enough. We'll be failing people who dream about having water, electricity, toilets, schools and jobs. I am convinced we can do it differently and do it faster. "In the past year alone, I and the villagers in Soda have brought about a radical change in the village purely through our own efforts. We have had no outside support - no NGO help, no public, nor private sector help," she said.

http://news.in.msn.com/national/article.aspx?cp-documentid=5082697

THREE

Organised effort strengthens the society. It has always been a difficult task to organise women of the society but the Self Help Group (SHG) scheme taken up by Seva Bharati, Tamilnadu, in Kanyakumari district has made this dream come true. In a remote Vanvasi ("tribal") village called Kodithuraimalai, the women members of Seva Bharati's SHG there resolved to execute a noble idea. After every weekly meet, all the members gathered to work in the farm of one member of the SHG without any payment. The owner of the land offered them lunch and evening tea. The next week the same activity happened in the farm of another member. This rotation of work is carried out in the farm of all the members in a regular turn. The resultant yield of self-reliance is promising both materialistically and socially. From a report by Shri Kesava Vinayagan (now Prant Prachark of RSS, Dakshin Tamilnadu), in ORGANISER, September 6, 2009.

FOUR

An electricity company based in Bihar (Bharat) called Husk Power Systems has created a system to turn rice husks into electricity that is reliable, eco-friendly and affordable for families that can spend only Rs 90 a month for power. The company has 65 power units that serve a total of 30,000 households and is currently installing new systems at the rate of two to three per week. Husk Power was founded by four friends: Gyanesh Pandey, Manoj Sinha, Ratnesh Yadav and Charles W. Ransler, who met attending different schools in India and the United States. Pandey, the company's chief executive, grew up in a village in Bihar without electricity. He decided to study electrical engineering. He found his way to the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, in Troy, New York, USA. He was soon earning a six-figure income. He bought his family a diesel-powered electric generator. He felt compelled to return home and use his knowledge to bring light to Bihar. In Bihar, when rice is milled, the outside kernel, or husk, is discarded. Because the husk contains a lot of silica, it doesn't burn well for cooking. A recent Greenpeace study reports that Bihar alone produces 180 crore (1.8 billion) kilograms of rice husk per year. Most of it ends up rotting in landfills and emitting methane, a greenhouse gas. Pandey and Yadav came up with a system that could burn 50 kilograms of rice husk per hour and produce 32 kilowatts of power, sufficient for about 500 village households. They found ways to extract value from the rice husk char — the waste product of a waste product — by setting up another side business turning the char into incense sticks. This business now operates in five locations and provides supplemental income to 500 women. Based on a report by Shri David Bornstein in NEW YORK TIMES, January 10, 2011.

FIVE

Smt Mahalakshmi, a school librarian and resident of T.Nagar, Chennai (Tamilnadu, Bharat) along with her husband Shri Subramanian, a retired employee of a private company, has identified 30 temples in dire need of regular pooja daily and channelizes public contribution to that end. All the 30 temples are located in remote villages, many of them inaccessible. But the Archakas in these temples - each one of the temples is sanctified by the association of a great soul - perform their duties with devotion in spite of the meager salary they get. The devout couple has requested devotees who want to help the regular conduct of poojas in these 30 temples to personally talk to the archaka concerned. For the list of temples, devotees may contact: 044-28152533 or 98400 53289. Based on a report in DINAMALAR, March 1, 2010.

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PANCHAAMRITAM 207

2011-03-21T19:30:00.001-07:00

Vishwa Samvad Kendra, Chennai

PANCHAAMRITAM 207

Pancha is five in Samskritam, Amritam is nectar

Poornima/ Kali Yugaabda 5112 / Vikruti Panguni 5 (March 19, 2011)

ONE

One day during the second week of February 2011, a young woman forgetfully left her mobile phone worth Rs 10,000 and cash Rs 600 on the seat of a Rickshaw that she had hired earlier in the day. She started looking for her belongings and made enquiries around the place she alighted from the rickshaw – Gardanibaug first cross road, Patna (Bihar, Bharat). Meanwhile, Anil, 35, the rickshaw chalak, was waiting for the lady to turn up and claim her mobile. Her enquiries led her to Anil, who handed over the mobile and cash to her in the presence of his neighbours the same evening. On 5 occasions earlier, Anil has restored mobile phones left in his vehicle to their owners, reports say. SAMVAD DARSHAN (Hindi fortnightly), February II, 2011, Patna.

TWO

On March 1, 2011, Ranjita, Kalpana and Satya all students of Chennai Queen Mary's College were hit by a speeding motor bike driven by two drunkards. All three were admitted to Hospital with head injuries. Of these, Rranjita died on Marech 5 owing to the callousness of the doctors. On information, the workers of ABVP Chennai unit mobilized over 300 students and staged a protest demonstration in the hospital premises. The students demanded action against erring doctors and nurses, and compensation to the parents of the deceased student. Soon the agitation snowballed into Road Roko by students. That led the Dean of the hospital Shri Kanakasabai to a talk with the students represented by Malathi, ABVP's national executive committee member, Gangadharan, joint secretary of the state unit of ABVP and Shaktivel of Law College. As a result, all demands of the agitating students were met. The ABVP team organized an instant condolence meet and saw to it that the body of the student was handed over to her parents without delay. A report in MAANAVAR SHAKTI, Tamil monthly, March 2011.

THREE

Shailesh (name changed), a 22-year-old US-based medical sciences student, experienced a sudden loss of vision after accidentally consuming methanol. For humans, methanol is said to be highly toxic. If ingested, as little as 10 ml can damage the optic nerve, thereby causing permanent blindness while 30 ml could be potentially fatal. His condition was claimed to be irreversible by American doctors. Indian doctors restored the vision of Shailesh at Chennai (Tamilnadu, Bharat) on March 15, 2011. Himanshu Bansal, a stem cell therapist who treated him said, "After diagnosis and treatments, the doctors who were consulted in the US called his case irreversible and despite intensive treatment with high dose steroids, his condition continued to deteriorate, possibly due to cell death." "During the procedure, doctors aspirated about 120 ml of autologus bone marrow from the lilac crest and concentrated it to 20 ml, processed it, and injected it into Shailesh's optic nerve," said Bansal. "A week after the procedure, Shailesh was able to read and differentiate colours," he added. The procedure was carried out at Laksha Hospital, Mylapore. "Once I return to the US, I will revisit my doctors and show them how Indian doctors have succeeded in treating me while they claimed my condition was irreversible," said Shailesh. "We are planning to publish the achievement in a medical journal," added Bansal. Based on a report in THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS, March 16, 2011.

FOUR

Because of religious persecution, Rajasthan saw immigration of around one lakh people from Pakistan during the 1965 and 1971 wars," said Pak Visthapit Sangh and Seemant Lok Sangathan president Hindu Singh Sodha, a law graduate from Jodhpur (Rajasthan, Bharat). In the past few years, Sodha and his team of volunteers have worked successfully in Rajasthan and border areas to provide Indian citizenship for over 13,000 persons displaced from Pakistan. Refugee status, Indian citizenship and reduction in fees for citizenship registration are the main demands of these people, said Sodha. Going back is not an option because of religious discrimination, but staying here also means facing harassment. Without ration cards and other valid proofs of an Indian identity, these people cannot send their children to school, or find proper jobs. The hope that their children will have a better life is the common thread that strings together these immigrants scattered in different parts of the country. Based on reports in FLASH LIGHT, Patna, February II, 2011 and THE HINDU December 18, 2010.

FIVE

Didi is a respected Gorkha lady living in the Dinthar locality of Aizol (Mizoram, Bharat). She was targeted by a Christian padre for conversion. Leading a group of evangelists, he promised her that if she became a Christian, she could live in heaven eternally. On hearing this, Didi replied: "Very good. I did not know this so far. Let all Christians go to heaven allowing all non Christians to live in peace on earth. May God bless you people, is my prayer. All of you will be happy and we all will also be happy". This response caused a quick and silent departure of the proselytizers from the spot. From PAATHEYA KANN, Hindi fortnightly, Jaipur, March 1, 2011.

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PANCHAAMRITAM 206

2011-03-04T20:44:00.001-08:00

Vishwa Samvad Kendra, Chennai

PANCHAAMRITAM 206

Pancha is five in Samskritam, Amritam is nectar

Amavaasya/ Kali Yugaabda 5112 / Vikruti Maasi 20 (March 4, 2011)

ONE

In an unusual step, the Railways asked an old sweeper and a gateman to inaugurate express trains at the Howrah station (West Bengal, Bharat) on Saturday, February 19, 2011. Bala Devi, a sweeper at the Santraganchi railway station, and Nimai Chandra Bera, a gateman at the Goraghanta station, inaugurated two weekly superfast express trains - Howrah to Prasanthi Nilayam and Howrah to Shirdi. "The duo will retire on the 28th of this month. So we decided to pay them a small tribute by requesting them to launch the trains. Though they are workers at the lower-level, yet they are very important to the organisation," CPRO Soumitro Majumdar said.

http://www.thehindu.com, February 19, 2011.

TWO

Hindu Gods adorn a new series of lottery tickets in Mexico. Not surprisingly, the top prize went to a ticket featuring Lakshmi, Goddess of Wealth. The National Lottery jackpot awarded a $4 million pesos (US$ 330,000) prize for ticket number 5825, whose notes were illustrated with the figure of Goddess Lakshmi, during a recent draw. The Goddess of Beauty and good luck, also brought fortune to tickets holders in Puebla, Puebla and Coatzacoalcos, and Veracruz.

http://www.lotenal.gob.mx/es/sala-de-prensa/boletines/500-cuatro-millones-de-pesosentrego-la-diosa-lakshmi-al-billete-5825-del-signo-acuario , MEXICO, February 2011

THREE

Maintaining that there was no constitutional right to convert a person from one religion to another, justice P Sathasivan of the Supreme Court of India said the right to propagate one's religion was not an unrestricted right. Delivering the third Dr LM Singhvi Memorial Lecture on "Secularism and Rule of Law in India," justice Sathasivam said the state has a right to pass laws restricting conversions if such activities created public disorder. Quoting from the SC's 1977 verdict in Stainislaus vs State of Madhya Pradesh & Orissa, he said: "The right to propagate means the right to 'transmit and spread one's religion by an exposition of its tenets'. But there is no constitutional right to convert a person from one religion to another, because this would impinge on the 'freedom of conscience' guaranteed to all the citizens of the country alike."

From a report by Shri Satya Prakash in HINDUSTAN TIMES, February 27, 2011.

FOUR

Even as the trauma of the survivors with aftershocks continuing to rock Christchurch, Newzealand, the members and volunteers of the Hindu community have joined the nation in offering prayers to give strength to the families and friends of earthquake victims. Hindu Council of New Zealand Media and Public Relations Officer Dr Rajiv Chaturvedi said specialised search and rescue teams were doing an admirable job under difficult circumstances. "In this hour of national emergency, a number of Hindu organisations, temples and associations have come forward to provide relief to earthquake victims," Dr Chaturvedi said. The Hindu Organisations, Temples and Associations (HOTA) Forum, in coordination with Sewa International, have launched an appeal to contribute to the ongoing aid and relief work in Christchurch, and to residents who have been displaced to various New Zealand cities. To assist with Sewa International relief work, contact nz_hota@yahoo.com or Kishor Mistry on 09 537 2766. You can make monetary donations to Sewa International through the ASB account number: 12-3055-0216216-00. Indianweekender.co.nz, February, 27, 2011.

-- FIVE

Bakkiashri (Bhagyashree) is not like other kids who read comics or watch television. This eight-year-old is heavily into tomes of medical journals and can name the most complex medicines for over 1,000 ailments without stumbling for a second. The child prodigy reproduced on March 2, 2011 the names of medicines for over 207 diseases in the presence of Madras University Vice-Chancellor G Thiruvasagam and a panel of doctors. Thiruvasagam said that the university would adopt the child as a research scholar and provide her all assistance. Bakkiashri, a class IV student of Velammal Matriculation School, Chennai (Tamilnadu, Bharat) developed the interest after reading books belonging to her aunt who is a staff nurse at the Government General Hospital in Puducherry. Her father, M Bhaskar said that he had spent over a lakh on buying her these journals. "She used to spend most of her time on those medical journals and had memorized all the medicine names and can even reproduce them," he said. The school has honoured this Class IV student with the citation Yuva Sadhaka, or Young Achiever, for her exemplary talent in recounting pharmacoligical names of medicines to treat over a thousand diseases.

From THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS, March 2, 2011

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PANCHAAMRITAM 205

2011-02-18T07:47:00.000-08:00

Vishwa Samvad Kendra, Chennai

PANCHAAMRITAM 205

Pancha is five in Samskritam, Amritam is nectar

Poornima/ Kali Yugaabda 5112 / Vikruti Maasi 6 (February 18, 2011)

ONE

Meet Smt R.S Lalitha, 63. A science teacher who took voluntary retirement from the Government High School in Cantonment Pallavaram in the suburb of Chennai (Tamilnadu, Bharat) 11 years ago after 29 years of service. Lalitha saved her retirement benefits till they accumulated to Rs 3.5 lakh. She then donated the money to build the noon-meal centre at the school. Spread over 354 sq.ft, the centre has a kitchen and a store room. “I don’t have children. These are my children,” Lalitha said about the students at the school. Lalitha was moved by the pathetic condition of the noon-meal centre when she visited the school last November. She sought permission from headmaster M Nainan to build the centre. “It is in remembrance of my husband, who died in 2009 after years of battling Parkinson’s disease,” she said. The school has around 1,400 students including 500 girls. As per norms, the state government is supposed to allot funds to build a noon-meal centre based on the number of students. Of the 1,400 students, about 400 students are beneficiaries of the scheme. However, due to lack of proper infrastructure, the school authorities were forced to cook the meals in the open. “We were overwhelmed by her request and immediately agreed,” said the chief executive officer of the Cantonment Board, Shri G Vijayabhaskar. Based on a report by Shri D Madhavan in THE TIMES OF INDIA of February 16, 2011. (Idea: Shri Sambamurthy, Saha Prant Karyawah, RSS, Uttar Tamilnadu)

TWO

Handloom weavers, Shri Mani and Smt Indrani, of Sirumugai village near Mettupalayam, Coimbatore district (Tamilnadu, Bharat), have performed an exemplary act of courage. The couple came forward to donate the organs of their 11-year-old son, Sowdesh, who was declared brain dead by the hospital authorities. Broken, but still forthcoming even in the hour of their distress, they asked the ICU doctors for organ donation. The kidneys, liver, heart valves, and corneas of their son have been harvested to be given to hospitals in Chennai and Coimbatore. For his parents, Sowdesh was the baby of the house, born 10 years after the birth of their first son. He was playing outside the house with his friend, when he was mowed down by a two-wheeler. Sowdesh sustained severe injuries and was rushed to the Mettupalayam GH, from where he was referred to the Ramakrishna Hospital in Coimbatore. On Monday, February 14, 2011, after all the confirmatory brain dead tests were done, Sowdesh was declared brain dead. On Tuesday, his organs were harvested. Mani said that he was a regular blood donor, and organ donation was something he had always on his mind. “My son’s organs should give life to as many as possible. He has not died. He will live always as his death has given life to many,” said the mother, almost in tears. From a report by Smt Nalini Ravichandran in THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS, February 16, 2011.

THREE

Village Dewala, Udaipur district (Rajasthan, Bharat). On December 28, 2010, functionaries of Rajasthan Vanavasi Kalyan Parishad of RSS were seen distributing dividends to 250 Vanavasis (tribals) who gather seethaphal fruits (Annona squamosa or custard apple). It is obviously their share in profit for having supplied the fruits to the Forest & Agricultural Produce Cooperative Society launched by the Parishad in 2009. In spite of the severe cold and failure of rains, the Society paid the Vanavasis Rs 4 a kilo for seethaphal (the Vanavasis were getting just Rs 2 from touts) and supplied to its buyers in Gujarat. Even then, at the end of the past year, the Society could earn a clear profit of Rs 80,000. That was promptly distributed among the Vanavasis. That is how the poor Vanavasi brethren were liberated from the clutches of profiteers. From PATHEYA KANN, a Hindi fortnightly of Jaipur, February 1, 2011.

FOUR

Bihar Chief Minister Shri Nitish Kumar on January 25, 2011 released the ‘Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2010’ prepared and submitted by an NGO, 'Pratham’ (established by UNICEF and Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai). The report highlighted 96.6 % enrolment of children (age group 6-14) in schools in Bihar giving a clear message that the state has bettered national average (96.5%). Midday meal improved the children's surge towards education, the CM said and solicited support of all for raising the quality of education. Last year India as a whole took a step towards universal elementary education, as Pratham’s report revealed. The proportion of girls in the age group of 11-14 too increased to 94.1%. It was Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee who gave the vision ‘Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan’ (education for all) when he was Prime Minister. Based on a report in FLASH LIGHT, Fortnightly, Patna, February 1, 2011 & THE TIMES OF INDIA, January 26, 2011

FIVE

Passengers travelling on bus number M 70 A which runs between Koyambedu and Avadi in Chennai found a two-day baby girl abandoned under a seat. They alerted the conductor and driver of the bus. The baby was then handed over to the Thirumullaivoyal police. As news spread in the locality, residents gathered at the police station seeking to adopt the baby. At least three families, including that of an electricity board employee, approached the police to take the baby home. They even took turns feeding the baby. "I asked if I could take the girl home as I have only two sons. But the police inspector there said that a lot of procedures were involved and that they had already alerted the helpline," said Murugadoss, an EB staff. The Child Helpline (1098) alerted the Indian Council for Child Welfare, which later rescued the baby. I am told that I could take the baby home only after she completed two years," added Murugadoss. Based on a report in THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS, February 14, 2011.

PANCHAAMRITAM 204

2011-02-18T07:44:00.000-08:00

Vishwa Samvad Kendra, Chennai

PANCHAAMRITAM 204

Pancha is five in Samskritam, Amritam is nectar

Amavaasya / Kali Yugaabda 5112 / Vikruti Thai 19 (February 2, 2011)

ONE

Imagine a High School situated bang in the middle of a Nandavanam (blossoming garden). Step into the government high school premises in Kadathoor, in the Gobichettipalayam block of Erode district (Tamilnadu, Bharat). Your imagination becomes in toto a reality there. The classrooms are surrounded by flower beds. In spite of dense foliage all around, the school verandahs and classrooms are neat and tidy as a new fiddle. It is the result of the inculcation of cleanliness among the boys and girls – it is a co-ed institution – through examples set by the teachers led by the Headmaster. The abundant harvest from the school orchard – plantains and other fruits – are not sold. These are distributed free systematically among the students. Class after class gets these in turn. Students and staff always get clean drinkable water in plenty, though the school is located in a place hard pressed for water. Toilets are in adequate proportion to the number of students. They are remarkably clean, meaning that the students are fully aware of the importance of hygiene. There is a constant complaint that the staff strength is inadequate (it is a government school), but the 90-95 percent results in the Class Ten public exams speak of the shraddha on the part of the teaching fraternity of the school. As told to TEAM PANCHAAMRITAM by Shri Bhaktavatsalan, Saha Prant Pracharak, RSS, North Tamilnadu.

TWO

Smt Anupama Joshi, retired Wing Commander, Indian Air Force, is now happy to be flooded with appreciation mails, messages and calls for having won a fight which she had fought for four years in the Delhi High Court and much before that under Air Force mechanism to get permanent commission for women in defence services. Anupama, who now works as CEO for Regional Rural Financial Services, lives in Dehradun with her 12-year-old son. Anupama, officer of the first woman Short Service Commission (SSC) in defence services, had waged this battle when she was not given permanent commission whereas her men colleagues were liberally given the same. Her present occupation is because of her sympathy for farmers of Uttarkhand who had to run from pillar to post for loans. With 18 branches her Financial Services has entered the self help field as well as insurance. The branches are manned by village youth. The Armed Forces wanted to utilize her services, but she chose to stay put in Dehradun unwilling to disappoint the villagers. From DAINIK JAGARAN and THE TRIBUNE August 18, 2010.

THREE

India has rejected a drug patent application of Abbot Laboratories, a United States multinational pharma company, paving the way for easy access to an important life-saving medication for HIV patients across the globe. The decision to reject the patent application on the important combination drug, Lopinavir/Ritonavir filed by Abbot Laboratories was given by the Indian patent office in New Delhi during the weekend. The Indian Patents Office has put a halt to the multinational Abbott Laboratories patenting and said it was not an invention. "India, the world's leading supplier of affordable medicines, can now supply this drug to patients across the globe who are desperately waiting for treatment. This combination drug is considered to be the frontline of defence for HIV positive patients who have failed to stay healthy with the first round of medicines available currently," Tahir M Amin, director of initiative for Medicines, Access & Knowledge (I-MAK), one of those who initiated legal action against the US company told PTI in a communication from New York. From www.rediff.com, January 3, 2011.

FOUR

Advocate Prashant Maggu had filed case on behalf of Hindu leader Shri Vinay Joshi in a Navi Mumbai court two years ago against Sahara Group editor Aziz Burney for his baseless allegations against RSS and India's security and intelligence apparatus. Aziz spread conspiracy theories linking RSS to 26/11 attacks through his book 'RSS ki Sazish 26/11?' The Court issued a non-bailable warrant against him, which forced Burney to beg for apology. His apology was published on the front page of Rashtriya Sahara, an Urdu daily. “I am requesting you for the immediate withdrawal of the court case filed against me in Navi Mumbai court, as it is creating professional difficulties for me and I cannot afford to bear cost of litigation. I never intended to target India's security apparatus and any patriotic organisation working in India. But if there are any references made in my articles by mistake then I am really sorry for that. I assure you that I will not write anything in future that may hurt anyone and I will take utmost care for the same. Expecting quick withdrawal of court case once again”, said Aziz in his letter to Joshi. Based on a post dated January 29, 2011 in www.haindavakeralam.com

FIVE

Yoga and Meditation is increasingly becoming popular in the West. Many leading personalities in sports and entertainment field are practicing yoga for maintaining their health and figures. Yoga and Meditation is a Rs 15,000 Crore business in USA alone. More than 10% of the whites and blacks in USA, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand practice Yoga and Meditation in spite of opposition from church groups. Perhaps there are more yoga centers in west than in Bharat. Fear of Cholesterol and obesity is driving many especially the youth in the west to turn to vegetarianism. There are many Ayurvedic centers in Brazil perhaps next only to Bharat. Many universities around the world have started courses in Ayurveda. Ayurvedic Burqa is in demand in the Arab world. Sanskrit is taught in more than 200 universities around the world. There is more and more demand for software professionals with knowledge of Sanskrit for developing softwares for Robots and Artificial Intelligence. NASA and other research institutes are looking for Sanskrit knowing professionals. From an article ‘Hindu Jagaran Around the World’ compiled by Shri Ravi Kumar, RSS, Delhi.

PANCHAAMRITAM 203

2011-01-27T18:25:00.001-08:00

Vishwa Samvad Kendra, Chennai

PANCHAAMRITAM 203

Pancha is five in Samskritam, Amritam is nectar

Poornima / Kali Yugaabda 5112 / Vikruti Thai 5 (January 19, 2011)

Posted on January 28, 2011. Sorry for the delay. – Moderator.

ONE

The United Commercial (UCO) Bank has opened the country's first 'lockless' branch at Shani Shingnapur in Maharashtra. Shani Shingnapur is a small town in Ahmednagar district whose presiding deity is Lord Shani. More than 5,000 devotees visit the temple every day, while on weekends the number crosses the 1 lakh mark. "We took note of the general belief and faith of the people. Ever since the most revered temple came into existence several years ago, the village has not witnessed a single crime. In fact, all houses in the entire village have no doors. We took the risk and started the lockless bank a week ago," a senior bank official said. Our branch has doors, but they will never be locked. Adequate precautions are being taken for the safety of lockers and important documents," he said. It is believed that because of Lord Shani's power, the village has not witnessed a single theft or robbery in the recent past. People here fear that if there is a theft or robbery, then the culprit and their family have to bear the wrath of Lord Shani. From a report by Shri Prafulla Marpakwar in THE TIMES OF INDIA, January 17, 2011

TWO

CHRISTELLE Gourdine, a French national of Guadeloupean, a Caribbean island (and of Indian origin), has been fascinated by her Indian roots for many years. Christelle was born in France. Guadeloupe is a group of islands in the Caribbean and is an overseas territory of France. Christelle's parents were part of the 55,000-strong Indian community in Guadeloupe just over 10 percent of the population till they moved to mainland France. Christelle, who works with a major French bank, is currently writing a book to explain the Indian presence in Guadeloupe and to relate their links with India. For her, it was the sound of the drums the dholaks and nagaras being played during festivities in Guadeloupe that triggered her interest and made her aware of her Indian origin. "I was deeply disappointed when I could not find any links to my ancestors in India despite travelling to so many places. Finally, I went to Varanasi to do a last ritual for my ancestors. But when I took a dip in the Ganga, I had an intensely emotional moment. It changed the way I felt. I decided to write a book about my ancestry, my search and the story about Indians in Guadeloupe. It is a story that deserves to be written so that we know about our heritage," Christelle says. (After slavery was abolished in French territories in 1848, the French planters in Guadeloupe decided to import workers from India after the good results they had seen in Reunion Island, the French territory in the Indian Ocean. From 1,854 to 1,889, 42,326 Indian workers were taken in 93 ships to Guadeloupe. Return from Guadeloupe was practically impossible. The French authorities felt it was too expensive to ship the workers back and so used various means to prevent their return. Indians were forced to give up their culture, tradition, language as well as their religion. Many resisted and tried to maintain their rituals and traditions in secret. From a report by IANS and THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS, January 21, 2011.

THREE

In February 2009, Vikram Pandit, Indian-American CEO of CITIGROUP, pledged to US Cong ress that he won't receive a salary of more than $1 until the financial giant hit severely by the 2008 meltdown, returned to sustained profitability. Now, after two years, the turnaround has happened with Citi reporting this week a profit of $10.6 billion for 2010. A grateful Citi board lost little time to reward Pandit by fixing his annual base salary at $1.75 million with immediate effect. Pandit's last full compensation was in 2008, when he received $10.8 million, including $985,333 in base salary. He took charge of Citi in December 2007 just when the meltdown was gathering pace in tandem with the aggravating subprime mortgage crisis. THE NEW SUNDAY EXPRESS, January 23, 2011.

FOUR

Six-year-old M. Aditya has become the youngest rated Indian chess player, according to the January 2011 list released by FIDE, the international chess body. Initiated into the sport at the age of two, Aditya has shown considerable progress in quick time. Aditya, who is the reigning Chennai District under-7 champion, trains at T. Nagar Chess Academy. Srinivasa Rangan, personal coach of Aditya says, "Usually it is difficult to teach Knight movements to beginners. But this kid was very special and he hit the ground running. It was amazing to see him play a full game when he was a little more than three years old." Arvind, Aditya's elder brother, is a FIDE-rated chess player and that has helped in shaping his skills. "Chess has helped him learn computers as well. He used to play chess on the internet when he was four. He could not read and icons were his only guides," said Meenakshi, Aditya's mother. THE HINDU, JANUARY 18, 2011.

FIVE

Encouraged by the resounding success of the first-ever four-day World Sanskrit Book Fair in Bangalore, the former Chief Election Commissioner and vice-president of the National Advisory Committee of Samskrita Bharati, Shri N. Gopalaswami said that the fair was likely to be held every year. Speaking to reporters along with Samskrita Bharati general secretary Shri C.M. Krishna Shastry and Karnataka coordinator Satyanarayana, he said that chief ministers and ministers of Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand had expressed their desire to hold such fairs in their states and it would be considered. He said that the exhibition Jnana Ganga would be taken to all schools for the benefit of children. He said that books, especially on teaching Sanskrit and the Bhagavad Gita as a guide on management were in great demand and publishers sold books worth Rs. 4 crore (early estimate) in five days. Samskrita Bharati would undertake programmes to teach simple Sanskrit to children. To start with it would begin in Bangalore. On the success of the fair, Krishna Shastry said vice-chancellors of 13 Sanskrit universities and 12 former vice-chancellors along with chairmen of seven Sanskrit academies and 12 oriental research institutes, apart from scholars from India and abroad attended it. He said these institutions had given Ph.D. to more than 800 researchers across the country in Sanskrit. THE HINDU (Bangalore), January 12, 2011.

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PANCHAAMRITAM 202

2011-01-04T09:48:00.001-08:00

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

Vishwa Samvad Kendra, Chennai

PANCHAAMRITAM 202

Pancha is five in Samskritam, Amritam is nectar

Amaavaasya/ Kali Yugaabda 5112 / Vikruti Margazhi 20 (January 4, 2011)

ONE

Gloria Arieira, a Brazilian and an authority in Sanskrit has translated the Bhagawad Gita and parts of the Vedas to Portuguese. So, if you are seeking spirituality in the holiday resort of Copacabana, Rio, then you will find it at Vidya Mandir, a school of Vedanta studies founded and run by Gloria. Gloria, who is visiting Kalady, with a group of 28 students, has been to Kerala before. A disciple of Swami Chinmayananda and of Swami Dayananda, Gloria's entry into the world of spirituality was after she heard Swami Chinmayananda's talk on Vedanta in Rio. That was in 1973. Gloria felt that her search for the greater meaning to life was answered. Dissatisfied with her search in other philosophies, she was drawn towards Vedic ways. Gloria learnt Sanskrit because it was the only way she could reach the depths of knowledge that she was seeking. The Bhagvad Gita and the Upanishads had to be read in the language they were written in. Gloria dresses like an Indian. Gloria, 57, is married and has three children, a lawyer, an engineer and one studying social sciences. Her husband is a yoga teacher. Does her family practise her way of life? She says that there is no compulsion to change. "The Vedic dharma does not ask for conversion. But the understanding of the Vedas changes life completely." Her children are proud of her work and value the Vedic tradition. Has her Indian-inspired spirituality taken her away from Brazil? "How can it? I am a Brazilian except that I see the logic, the higher order behind my learning Vedanta and teaching it to students in Brazil", she says. Based on a report by Smt Priyadershini. S in THE HINDU (Kochi) , September 8, 2010 .

TWO

An 18-day train journey across 12 places in the country with 400 people from all states talking about entrepreneurship, sharing ideas, meeting role models and devising innovative solutions for day-to-day problems: This is what the Tata Jagriti Yatra, which made a stop in Chennai on December 30, 2010, is all about. It is an annual affair organized by a Mumbai-based group. The participants are people in the 20-25 age group as well as working professionals above 25 and the aim is to expose them to unsung heroes. "The motto is to awaken the spirit of entrepreneurship, both of the social and financial kind, by exposing them to individuals and institutions that have developed unique solutions to various challenges," said Raj Krishnamurthy, a board member of the yatra. In Chennai, the participants met Shri R Elango, an engineer turned panchayat president who has changed the face of Kuthambakkam, a small village. Kuthambakkam, near Chennai, is completely panchayat-led and a viable and profitable model with 59 self-help groups. The yatris are divided into 18 teams which come up with a plan in the sectors of education, agriculture and healthcare. The five best teams are given a seed fund to implement their ideas. "Five hundred million Indians live on Rs 40-120 a day and with this yatra we hope to address the problems of this chunk of the population," said Raj. (Tata Jagriti Yatra, Tel (India): +91 22 6453 5354 Mobile (India): +91 92 2323 1183, +91 93 2421 2434). Based on a report in THE TIMES OF INDIA, December 31, 2010.

THREE

Bobby Jindal, the Indian American Governor of Louisiana, has topped the list of US's popular governors in a new survey, conducted by Public Policy Polling (PPP). Jindal, who became the first ever Indian American governor of a US state in 2007, will be seeking re-election in October 2011. According to the poll, Jindal emerged with a 58 percent approval rating, along with 34% disapproving of his performance. He is closely followed by Iowa's Governor. Although West Virginia's Governor Joe Manchin posted a higher approval rating (70 percent) than Jindal's, he has since left the gubernatorial mansion, having been elected US Senator. THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS, January 1, 2011.

FOUR

Thailapuram, off Chengalpattu in Kanchipuram district (Tamilnadu, Bharat) celebrated the Deepam Utsav as a social festival on November 21, 2010. Usually, lighting of lamps in every Hindu household marks the Deepam festival. The event was unique that day in many ways. The nation (represented by a huge map of undivided Hindusthan – Akhand Bharat - drawn on the open ground in the middle of the village) was the centre of the ceremony. Mud lamps (Diyas) with the wick and gingelly oil were placed all along the borders of the country in the map. Every holy city inside the borders was indicated by a similar lamp each, with wick and oil. At the outset, functionaries of political parties – AIADMK, DMK, PMK, etc., - responded happily to the call of the organizers and lit a lamp each, positioned at each holy city inside `Hindusthan'. So did the caste leaders of several castes one by one. All cities from Amarnath in the Himalayas via Ayodhya down to Kanyakumari in the south were lit by these leaders of the village. While a lamp wais lit in a holy city, the organizers narrated its cultural importance as well as the effectiveness of Hindu unity in that city. The climax of the Utsav was this: when the entire village lined up and began lighting the lamps on the borders of the nation, the political and caste leaders joined the people. The Utsav was organized by Swayamsevaks of RSS in the village. As told to Team PANCHAAMRITAM by Shri G.Bhaktavatsalan, Saha Prant Prachrak , RSS, Uttar Tamilnadu.

FIVE

Agriculturists of village Kachod in Ujjain Taluk, Ujjain District (Madhya Pradesh, Bharat) will not have to face water scarcity any more. They have a new check dam in their village now, which will save excess water. It is a gift worth Rs 3 lakhs – for the benefit of the villagers - by their fellow farmer Shri Dayaram Kaakkad, all India Vice President of Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS), the premier national organization of farmers founded by RSS veteran late Shri Dattopant Thengadi. Dayaram has chosen the wedding of his son slated for January 25, 2011, as the occasion to give the valuable gift to his village. Incidentally, the theme for the forthcoming all India conference of BKS on February 4, 2011 in Ujjain is `conservation of water'. Farmers from 3 lakh villages will be carrying holy water from their villages and Sadhus including His Holiness the Kanchi Shankarachrya will perform Jalabhishekh to the presiding deity of Ujjain, Lord Mahakleshwar (Shiva). This has the purpose of reminding farmers that water is to be held in high esteem. As told to Team PANCHAAMRITAM by Shri Gopi, Tamilnadu State Organising Secretary, BKS.

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LOCATIONS COVERED: Tamilnadu, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Brazil and the USA.

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PANCHAAMRITAM 201

2010-12-21T19:05:00.001-08:00

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

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

2010-12-05T18:15:00.001-08:00

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

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

2010-11-22T18:35:00.001-08:00

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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

2010-11-06T20:51:00.000-07:00

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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

2010-10-23T04:20:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-07T20:59:00.001-07:00

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

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

2010-09-23T20:50:00.000-07:00

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

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

2010-09-08T22:30:00.001-07:00

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

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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PANCHAAMRITAM 193

2010-08-24T19:44:00.001-07:00

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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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PANCHAAMRITAM 192

2010-08-09T06:07:00.001-07:00

Vishwa Samvad Kendra, Chennai

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

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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PANCHAAMRITAM 191

2010-07-26T19:37:00.001-07:00

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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PANCHAAMRITAM 190

2010-07-17T00:10:00.001-07:00

Vishwa Samvad Kendra, Chennai

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

PANCHAAMRITAM 190

Pancha is five in Samskritam, Amritam is nectar

Amavaasya / Kali Yugaabda 5112 / Vikruti Aani 27 (July 11, 2010)

ONE

Two girls aged 15 and 16, — Poonam and Suman from Karontha village of Rohtak (Haryana, Bharat) — chased two armed assailants and managed to kill one of them on early on June 19, 2010. According to the police, two youth on a bike arrived at Rajesh's house around 5 am. Rajesh is a witness in a murder case. The two men woke up Sube Singh, Rajesh's father, and asked him to call his son. When Rajesh came out, they fired at him, hitting him in the stomach. An angry Sube Singh launched himself at the assailants along with his injured son, but was shot dead. Rajesh's two nieces who were asleep inside rushed out on hearing the gunshots. They joined the fight against the intruders armed with spades, the police said. Taken aback by unexpected retaliation, an injured Rakesh, who had lost his pistol in the melee, asked his accomplice Bittu to fire at the girls. However, Bittu fired at Rakesh, injuring him in the leg. Bittu then tried to run away, dragging his injured friend. But the girls chased them for 100-150 metres, and bludgeoned Rakesh to death with a spade. The police said they would honour the girls for their bravery. From a report by Shri Deepender Deswal in THE TIMES OF INDIA, June 20, 2010.

TWO

At village Ghai, off Bikaner (Rajasthan, Bharat), 58-year old Sishupal Singh gets up early in the morning, picks up the microphone at his bedside and begins reading out spiritual messages as well as news from morning dailies. It is broadcast through the loudspeaker kept outside his house – for the villagers to benefit. Singh is confined to bed for the last 20 years after his backbone was fractured in an accident. His news service includes whatever he views on the TV and hears over the radio as well. He broadcasts the availability of rationed goods at the public distribution system outlet in the village, later in the day. More important: He repeats his appeals to shun smoking and drugs over the public address system, thoughtfully donated by a social worker by name Sanjay Ghosh in order to help unlettered villagers keep abreast of current affairs.

Based on a report in DINAMALAR, April 13, 2010.

THREE

Shri Devinder Sharma is a food and trade policy analyst. He also chairs the New Delhi-based Forum for Biotechnology & Food Security. In 1999, he persuaded farmers of Punukula village in Khammam district of Andhra Pradesh, Bharat, to go in for bio fertilizers. A few farmers began experimenting with Non-Pesticidal Management (NPM) practices. A year later, the highly contaminated environment began to change for the better. Soil and plant health looked revitalised, and the pests began to disappear. Such was the positive impact both environmentally and economically that by 2004 the entire village had stopped using chemical pesticides. Restoring the ecological balance brought back the natural pest control systems. Along with the pesticides, the pests too disappeared. Surrounding villages promptly emulated this. By now 3,18,000 farmers in 21 districts of Andhra Pradesh are using compost manure and earthworm to enrich the soil. The health of farmers greatly improved with the disappearance of pesticides. Cost of farming too fell by 35 percent. Farmers of Ramachandrapuram in Khammam district had been bogged down by debts as a result of use of chemical fertilizers. After they took to bio fertilizers, in just two years, 386 of them could redeem the lands they had mortgaged.

Based on a report in PATHEYA KANN, Jaipur, June 16, 2010.

Also from www.indiatogether.org

FOUR

The traders' guild, Vidisha Vyapaar Mahasangh (VVM), Madhya Pradesh, Bharat, held a camp recently to sell power-saving CFL lamps at a 35 per cent discount, instead of the usual power-guzzling filament incandescent lamps. Almost 4,500 CFL lamps worth Rs 4 lakh were sold during the two-day camp. Buoyed by the response, the VVM then held another camp in collaboration with the Vyapaar Mahasangh of the adjacent Ganj Basoda town. "This means fewer old filament bulbs and lower electricity use," says local MLA Vir Singh Raghuvanshi. The traders' guilds are encouraging CFL makers and dealers to set up shop at these camps and offer discounts. The movement is the brainchild of VVM president Rajesh Jain, who hit upon the idea of promoting VVM lamps after the monthly power dues of his own grocery store more than halved from Rs 1,200 to Rs 500 per month when he replaced his old tube-lights and filament bulbs. The VVM now plans to promote the use of solar water heaters and cheaper air-cooling. Small town India, it seems, is fast becoming a vital part of the battle against global warming.

From a report by Shri Ambreesh Mishra,

in INDIA TODAY, January 21, 2010.

FIVE

Shri Prabhakar Joshi, who has an illustrious background as a teacher of Sanskrit in schools and colleges, was immensely influenced by Dr. B.R.Ambedkar's mission to uplift the downtrodden. Ramji, father of Ambedkar wanted that his son should learn Sanskrit. When Bhimrao opted for the subject at the Elphinstone High School in Mumbai, the teachers there refused to allow him to study Sanskrit because he was a Dalit. After pondering over this episode, Joshi thought of an "atonement of sorts" by way of versifying in Sanskrit, the life of Ambedkar. He recently completed the Sanskrit biography titled `Bhimayanam'.It contains 1,577 Sanskrit 'Shlokas' covering the life span of Ambedkar unfolded in 160 pages with 21 'Sargas' (chapters). A victim of glaucoma, Joshi lost his sight completely while still working on the biography undertaken in 2004, but he saw to it that the work was completed. `Bhimayanam' was published under "Sharada Gaurav Granthamala" series by Pandit Vasant Gadgil. Maharashtra Governor Shri Shankarnarayanan is expected to formally release the biography.             PTI, July 10, 2010.

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Panchaamritam 183

2010-04-02T03:28:00.000-07:00

Vishwa Samvad Kendra, Chennai
Visit us at http://pancha-amritam.blogspot.com/
PANCHAAMRITAM 183
Pancha is five in Samskritam, Amritam is nectar
Poornima, Kali Yugaabda 5111, VIRODHI Panguni 15 (March 29, 2010)
ONE

Sri Gurupadalinga Mahaswami, who heads the Virakta Math in Gulbarga district (Karnataka, Bharat), single-handedly converted 25 acres of barren land into a virtual gold-mine through a mixture of organic and conventional farming. The swami participates in every aspect of agriculture, right from the preparation of the land, tilling, sowing and harvesting of the crop. He spends at least 10 hours in the fields supervising operations. The agriculture and horticulture farm owned by the math is self sufficient. It has an open well and three high-yielding borewells that provide sufficient water for the farms. The entire horticulture farm is watered through drip irrigation; not a single drop of water goes waste. To improve the water table in the village, the swami donated five acres of land for constructing a tank and that has helped in improving the groundwater levels in the village. The farm has its own vermicompost manufacturing unit that produces 200 tonnes of vermicompost from 18 pits a year; 50 per cent of the compost is sold at the rate of Rs. 300 a quintal to farmers. The Swami established a grape farm five years. On an average, the farm produces more than 10 tonnes of qood quality golden raisins which fetches a good price in the market. The farm has one of the biggest scientifically established sheds, which can at a time hold 10 tonnes of grapes a day. The swami has also taken up cultivation of sugarcane on a small patch of land and is experimenting with the paired row method of planting of sugarcane which helps in retaining the moisture levels on the land for a longer period resulting in a higher yield. The farm also provides employment for the womenfolk in the village, who get a monthly salary of more than Rs. 1,500. The farm is frequented by the farmers from other districts as well. Recognising his contribution in the field of agriculture and horticulture, the State Government awarded the Swami the prestigious Krishi Pandit award this year.

Based on a report by Shri T. V. Sivanandan in THE HINDU March 18, 2010.

TWO

“I usually travel by Metropolitan Transport Corporation( MTC) bus, from Jain College stop (Which is near to my office) to Tidel Park. Formerly, MTC buses on routes 19B and 21H mostly won’t stop at Tidel Park. So I usually prefer to get into T51 bus, which stops. After some time, 19B started stopping at Tidel Park also. Today (March 22, 2010), while returning from office at around 8.30 pm, I got into a bus (19B) in Jain College at around 8.45 pm, and asked the conductor to give me a ticket to Tidel Park stop. He said, the bus won't stop there; I contested that; but he kept on saying the same thing. I found a complaint phone number (9884301013) in my mobile. I called that number. The MTC official at the other end asked me to give the phone to the conductor and asked for the bus registration number. He enquired where the bus was at that time. I said it is in Kandhanchavadi. The MTC official said he will come on the line and talk to them. I was curious how he will come and catch the bus. A few minutes ticked by. The wireless transmitter (to track the bus), near the driver in the bus started screaming... The driver stopped the bus on the left side of the road and started listening to the transmitter. The MTC voice enquired why the bus did not stop at Tidel Park stop. The driver said he stops in Tidel Park stop and in the previous trip also he has done. The voice asked him then why the conductor kept saying what he said. The voice asked the conductor too what the matter was. The conductor was speechless. The driver somehow managed the situation and supported the conductor by saying that the conductor was new to this route. The driver asked to be excused for the incident and said he will stop at the Tidel Park stop. The MTC voice said he wanted to talk to the passenger who called him. I went near the transmitter and spoke to it. He said he was sorry for the incident and apologised to me on behalf of MTC. Everyone in the bus was surprised. I came back to my seat and I was embarrassed as all were looking at me. A few passengers took down the number from my mobile. Eventually, the bus stopped at Tidel Park stop. Yes, nowadays good things happen in government sector also. Technology too is used properly”.

Based on a letter from Shri Prakash M, a software trainee of Tidel Park, Chennai;Idea: Smt. Rama Devi Prasad

THREE

Akhil Mathew, 18, a student of Indian origin, has won the third place in America's pre-college science competition, the ‘Intel Science Talent Search 2010’. The 18-year-old won the $50,000 prize for his math project on “Deligne categories, a setting for studying a wide range of algebraic structures with ties to theoretical physics,” said a release issued by Intel. Akhil's father Mathew Thomas hails from Kerala and mother Rama Madhavarao from Karnataka. Erika DeBenedictis, 18, of Albuquerque won the top award of $1,00,000. Her project involved development of a software navigation system to help improve spacecraft travel through the solar system. The second place and prize of $75,000 was won by David Liu, of Saratoga, California, for his work to develop a system to recognise and understand digital images.

From THE HINDU, March 22, 2010; Idea: Shri. U Sunder

FOUR

The Municipal Corporation of Madurai (Tamilnadu, Bharat) selected 100 students of class X studying in the city’s Corporation schools found to be the weakest in studies. It provided them toothpaste, soap, food, etc., and allowed them to stay in the school premises; it arranged for their intensive coaching there in order to ensure their success in final exams. This goes on for over a month now. Said Assistant Commissioner of the Corporation Shri. R. Bhaskar, “Most of the Corporation school students lag behind in studies because their homes lack the ambience. So, we decided to select those who lag behind and coach them under our supervision at least till the govt exams. The number was an unmanageable 240. We shortlisted them by selecting only those who fail in four or more subjects or in all subjects, for coaching. We arranged for their stay in a Corporation school near the Thirmalai Nicker Mahal that had been closed. There they benefit from the special coaching. We offer them food thrice a day; we serve them coffee or tea as well. Not to bore them with all lessons and no relaxation, they are given physical exercises in the mornings; we regale them with jokes in the evenings. They are introduced to the inspiring lives of Swami Vivekananda and Abdul Kalam in the nights. They are permitted to meet their parents for 15 minutes in the evening. The highlight is that the expenses for all this are met not by the Corporation but by quite a few good-natured individuals. The Commissioner gave us instant permission to use the premises for this purpose. Deputy Tashildar Shri Balaji contributes in a unique way. All along, he had been giving free tuition to poor students. He inspires the students by his tireless work, day and night.”

Based on a report by Shri S.J. Idhaya in THUGLAK,
Tamil weekly, April 7, 2010. Idea: Smt. Vasantha.

FIVE

The intersection of “Arden” & "Amboy" Avenues in Staten Island was named “Dr Jitendra Sukhadia Crossing” by the City Council of Staten Island (New York, USA) on March 21, 2010, as a tribute to his wide-ranging exceptional humanitarian work. Dr Jitendra Sukhadia, who passed away on March 21, 2008 was a brilliant pediatrician, conscientious community leader and a legendary philanthropist who touched countless lives through his generosity of help, spirit and commitment, especially in Staten Island which was his home for more than three decades. This event was graced by Hon. Councilman Shri. Vincent Ignicio, NJ Assembly Member Shri. Upendra Chivukula and scores of Indian dignitaries from various organizations. Dr. Smt. Ila Sukhadia, wife of Dr Jitendra’s Sukhadia, said that the street naming ceremony was a fitting homage by the people of Staten Island to immortalize his ideals. (Dr. Jitendra Sukhadia was a past president of New York area "Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America - VHPA" for several years and locally spearheaded all its charitable activities).

http://www.indoustalks.com/homepage/community-news/2067-street-naming-honor-for-dr-sukhadia-in-staten-island-ny; Idea: Shri Vedhagiri Kapali.

PANCHAAMRITAM 182

2010-04-01T09:53:00.000-07:00

Vishwa Samvad Kendra (Media Centre), Chennai (vskch.2009@gmail.com)

PANCHAAMRITAM 182

Pancha is five in Samskritam, Amritam is nectar

Amavaasya, Kali Yugaabda 5111, VIRODHI Panguni 1 (March 15, 2010)

ONE

As patriotic fervour reached fever pitch on the 150th anniversary of the 1857 uprising against the British, the potent symbol of that tyrannical rule — the East India Company — made a quiet return to India. Two years ago, London-based businessman of Indian origin Sanjiv Mehta bought the once-imperial company for its "instantly recognisable international brand name." The Mumbai-born entrepreneur plans to re-launch the East India Company after strenuously acquiring shares in the firm that once ruled India. With a Rs. 67.5 crore ($15 million) investment and inputs from a range of experts, from designers and brand researchers to historians, Sanjiv Mehta plans to open the company store in Conduit Street of the main Regent Street in the heart of London in 2010. Describing it as an achievement, Mehta said "I have this huge feeling of redemption, this indescribable feeling of owning a company that once owned us." Mehta said he travelled around the world, visiting former East India Company trading posts and museums, reading up records and meeting people who understood business of that time.

A report by Smt Kala Rao in HINDUSTAN TIMES, May 12, 2007; updated

TWO

On March 23, 2009, residents of Semmencherry near Old Mahabalipuram Road, Chennai, were a proud lot. The kumbhabishekam' being performed at the 1,800-year-old Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple, for the first time since 1957, meant that their restoration efforts had borne fruit. Almost 1,000 devotees, mainly locals, witnessed the grand function. Over time, the temple, which is considered a heritage structure by the Archaeological Survey of India, began to lose its sheen. Thick undergrowth enveloped most of the space around the one-acre main temple; the entire area is about 16.5 acres. Exposure to the elements and poor maintenance damaged some of the idols. A serious attempt began in March 2007. With active support from the Semmencherry panchayat, the villagers led by T Gnanasundraram, 65, started a door-to-door campaign to raise funds. Letters were sent to those in faraway places. The Srinivasa Perumal Trust was formed and within a few months, more than Rs 10 lakh was raised. Craftsmen from Kancheepuram and Kumbakonam began work on 16-foot high wooden doors for the main entrance. "We are planning to introduce additional facilities for devotees. We will ensure that the temple is well maintained," said Semmencherry panchayat president K Dhanasekar.

From a report in THE TIMES OF INDIA, March 24, 2009

THREE

Madurai-based Aravind Eye Care System (AECS) has been chosen for the Rs. 67.5 crore (USD 1.5 million) Conrad N Hilton Humanitarian Prize, given annually to an organisation that makes extraordinary contributions towards alleviating human suffering.The AECS has been chosen from among 400 nominees for the prize for its "extraordinary work" in the field of eye care, according to a release by the eye care facility.The international prize is awarded each year since 1996 by the Hilton Foundation established by the late hotel entrepreneur Conrad N Hilton, for the purpose of providing humanitarian aid to the poor. The AECS, founded in 1976 by late Dr Govindappa Venkataswamy, performed both free and subsidised operations to three lakh people every year through their five hospitals in India, the release said. Highlighting the achievements of the AECS, its chairman Dr P Namperumalswamy said a doctor of the eye care system could perform 2,000 eye operations a year, compared to average 250-400 done by any eye surgeon.This was made possible by the model established by its founder, he added.

Based on a PTI / www.zeenews.com report March 8, 2010. Idea: Shri. Venkatesh

FOUR

Kalyan Singh Rawat of Uttarakhand state, Bharat who was instrumental in rendering 6,500 villages along the Himalayas into lush green gardens, is bent upon making the entire state go green through his `Maithi hariyali Abhiyan'. He has infused Shraddha (belief) into it so that more people would take to it easily. The Abhiyan consists of an offering of ONE Rupee (Uchchana) into a box with the name of the Grama Devata written on it and kept at one's pooja room. The collection should be made available to the Abhiyan every year for a tree to be planted in one's name in his/her ancestral village. Anyone who lives far away from his/her village can thus soulfully associate with the roots via this pro-eco scheme. The surplus from this offering will be used to protect the village's jal jungle and jameen (water, forest and land). The Abhiyan also helps newly wed couple to plant a sapling; thousands of weddings take place in Uttarakhand every year. The Abhiyan will also help anyone capable of adopting a village for tree-planting.

Based on a report by Shri Virendra in RASHTRIYA SAHARA, March 10, 2010.

FIVE

Film 'Avatar' has made Hollywood history with Rs 14,000 crore ($2.6 billion) in worldwide ticket sales and showcased James Cameron's bold moviemaking skills. It also revealed the director's fascination with the imagery of India. "I just have loved every thing, the mythology, the entire Hindu pantheon, seems so rich and vivid," Cameron told an audience of filmmakers and actors at a conference in New Delhi on March 13, 2010. In 'Avatar', Cameron creates a lush world of dense forest and floating mountains in a computer-generated spectacular that transforms much of the cast into giant, blue-skinned humanoids. One of Hinduism's most revered gods, Krishna, is often depicted with blue skin. "I didn't want to reference the Hindu religion so closely but the subconscious association was interesting and I hope I haven't offended any one in doing so," the filmmaker said. Cameron said the title of the film was a subconscious reference to India. 'Avatar' in Sanskrit means reincarnation. At the Oscar Awards last week, Kathryn Bigelow's gritty Iraq War movie 'The Hurt Locker' outshone 'Avatar' after a nail-biting campaign season.

Based on a Reuters report by Smt. Shilpa Jamkhandikar, March 15, 2010.

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