Panchamrutam 2

ONE

At present there are around 30 IT shakhas in Bangalore. The RSS holds IT milans on a regular basis and the last one to be held was during the 150th anniversary of the 1857 war on Independence. During such important occasions, the IT wing of the RSS sends out messages through social networking sites to its members, who in turn will have to spread the message around to likeminded persons. The RSS says that it has been working since the past six years on this concept and it is picking up very well now. The members are largely in the age group of 25 and 30. At least half of them are new to the RSS ideology. The RSS says that it is impressed with the response it has got so far and this has prompted them to open up similar shakhas both in Pune and Hyderabad where many IT companies are based.

(Based on a report in www.rediff.com/news

- November 12, 2007).

TWO

Adhivakta Parishad is the all Bharat forum of nationalist advocates manned by Swayamsevaks. The Haryana chapter of the Parishad achieved remarkable success in persuading contending parties from going to court by settling their disputes out of court. This may look odd. But it is true. The advocates had the goodness of heart to ensure speedy justice and simultaneously reducing the burden on courts at the cost of their own income.

(As told to Team PANCHAAMRITAM)

THREE

Swayamsevaks of RSS serving people is a common sight throughout Bharat. The Jammu-Kashmir state is no exception. The predominantly Buddhist Laddak area in the state presented a peculiar problem. Every woman had to marry 3 or 4 men. Afraid of opposing this custom, the womenfolk married Muslims of the area. In the process, they were converted to Islam. RSS studied this in depth and in 2001 arranged for a meeting of RSS chief Prof. Rajendra Singh and Dalai Lama. After this meeting, Dalai Lama declared that thereafter, Laddaki women and men shall adhere to the Dharma of `one man – one woman' norm. With that, women converting to Islam fearing multiple marriages came to an end. Also, a large number of converted women returned to their ancestral fold.

From an interview of Shri. Premchand Goel, Akhil Bharatiya Seva Pramukh of RSS in the Deepavali special number of VIJAYABHARATHAM, Tamil weekly, November 9, 2007. Interviewers: Shri. Chokkalingam and Shri. Nagalingam.

FOUR

Swastika, not the Red Cross. That's the emblem that the Aarogya Bharati, the RSS wing of medical practitioners, is asking its members to use instead of the international symbol. Some members of the organisation, registered in Bhopal, have already started pasting Swastika stickers on their vehicles and in their clinics without inviting much attention. (But, the symbol was promoted in a big way on November 18, 2007 in Nagpur where the organisation — it's an umbrella of National Medical Organisation (for allopaths), Vishwa Ayurved Parishad and Ayurved Vyas Peeth (for Ayurveda practitioners) and Homeo Samaj (for Homeopathy practitioners) — distributed stickers to all members). "We are not against the Red Cross but Swastika is a symbol of Indian culture," Aarogya Bharati's national secretary M S Deshpande told THE INDIAN EXPRESS. The organisation, registered in 2004, wants Rishi Dhanwantari's anniversary to be celebrated in India as National Health Day — not April 7, the World Health Day, which marks the constitution of the World Health Organisation.

Based on a report by Shri Milind Ghatwai in

THE INDIAN EXPRESS, November 13, 2007.

FIVE

Samskrita Bharati, known the world over for its 10 day spoken Samskrit shibirams, introduces ever new schemes to enhance the Samskrit fraternity. 18,000 school kids have joined in its latest `Bala Bharati' course in Tamilnadu. Work among America born youth of Indian origin is catching up.. Sushri Sowmya, one among them, is a Vistarika (full time worker) of Samskrita Bharati in Los Angeles. In October, the all Bharat conference of Samskrita Bharati was held in Meerut (Uttar Pradesh) in which 807 delegates from 553 places participated. Well known Yoga master Shri Ram Devji spoke at the valedictory function in Samskritam. He assured that one page in his YOGA SANDESH magazine (circulation: 5 lakh copies) will be devoted to spoken Samskrit lessons.

DESHIYA SAMACHAR, Chennai, November, 2007.

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