Wake Up

On 16th of April Two Juna Akhara Sadhus Chikne Maharaj Kalpavrukshagiri (70 years old) and Sushilgiri Maharaj (35 years old) along with their 30-year-old driver Nilesh Telgade were Lynched to death by a frenzied mob at Palghar District, Maharashtra. This incident was not immediately reported by the Main stream media. But when they were constrained to report because of the Video of lynching which spread virally through Social media, they did report after a couple of days. 

The pre meditated attack was reported as an attack which happened because of mistaken identity. The main stream media is hoping that the short term memory of the Public coupled with its ‘Ostrich Syndrome’, will make this issue go into oblivion as soon as possible. This living in denial is what has made the life easy not just for the enemies of our state but also the media crooks who back them in all possible ways. 

The way this outrageous act has been reported by main stream media goes to prove that they are the benumbing agents for these attackers. If we believe the version of the media and believe that the lynching is a case of mistaken identity by the villagers, then we are the very embodiment of this ‘Ostrich syndrome’.

There is an unholy nexus between the Church and the naxal outfits, which targets the sadhus who work among the Tribals, to improve their social conditions. If we remember the gruesome killing of Swami lakshmananda Saraswati a few years ago, then we can see how this nexus works. During lockdown, how such a huge number of people assembled there, is a question which begs an answer. For the average Hindu this is just another news of violence. Every time when such a violence is reported we tend to think it is something happening in a faraway place and we are in no way impacted by this. Many among us are beset with this ‘Ostrich Syndrome’, which is nothing but trying to live in an imaginary world,not bothering to know about the imminent threats to our existence. Hindus will be shocked to know that most off the one off incidents are actually orchestrated attacks. 

It’s time for Hindus to wake up from this slumber and get our acts right. Putting a sad emoji or forwarding the news to others, alone will not suffice. We have to get organized. We have to make the dormant majority aware of this existential threat. We are in the midst of a civilisational war. A war between the exclusive fundamentalist religious ideologies and the inclusive Dharmic Ideology. A war which started several centuries ago. A war which we believe will not happen. A war in which we are yet to equip ourselves. A war which will define the destiny of the mankind. 

Wake Up.

V.V. Balasubramanian

YB - ET

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Being Happy…

Every human being’s ultimate aim in life is to be happy. It is towards this ever eluding happiness all human endeavors are aimed at. Our Work, Business, Politics, Recreation everything is intended to provide this Happiness, not only to us, but also to all those who are around us. When the whole world is trying to reach this Mirage called Happiness, our country has devised its own unique approach to be Happy always. It’s a product of our very ancient Vedic Cultural Heritage, its Yoga. Yoga, as popularly misunderstood, is not mere Asanas and Breathing practices. Yoga is wonderful science, which uses our Body and Mind as a tool to get liberated from the very same Body and Mind complex.

Our scriptures say that we are embodiment of happiness. But to realize this, which is the core of our personality, we have to get detached from bondages. We will be able to see that the entire creation is divine once we get ourselves detached from our bondages. Seeing the entire creation as one is the path to the abode of Happiness. Swami Vivekananda said, “Religion is not in Doctrines, in Dogmas, nor in intellectual argumentation; it is being and becoming, it is Realisation”.

Yoga helps us to get this vairagya, which is essential for getting the detachment. If we cling on to the lower truths, our spiritual quest can never become true. Then happiness will forever be a dream to be achieved. In fact we cling on to the bondages because we think that they are the sources of happiness. We also misunderstand that happiness means enjoyment. And try to pursue Happiness through enjoyment. But how do we pursue happiness effectively? After all, some recent scientific research actually cautions us against the pursuit of happiness. For instance, a study led by Iris Mauss, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, found that people instructed to feel happier while watching a pleasant film clip actually ended up feeling worse than people who were instructed just to watch the clip. Findings like this are echoed in the popular press. Renowned Writer Ruth Whippman wrote in a recent New York Times article that the pursuit of happiness is a “recipe for neurosis.” But then is happiness a dream which can never be achieved? Are we doomed to fail at the pursuit of happiness? It depends. The difference between effectively and ineffectively pursuing happiness may all be in how we go about it. Research suggests that people who strive to feel happy all of the time may suffer disappointment, and people who pursue happiness as if it were the only thing that matters may, ironically, chase happiness away. It’s because we search happiness in material beings and forget the real source of happiness.

But in yogic lore Santhosha which is the term many people misconstrue for happiness actually means contentment. It is not about enjoying or possessing valuables but being content with what life has given to you. If our mind is tuned with the help of yoga to get this santhosha then as a natural progression we will be able to get Ananda, the real happiness.

We, as a society, once gave this unending elixir of happiness to the humanity. Now, once again it is our responsibility to remind the world and also us, that the search for happiness can end with realizing that Ananda, which comes through proper understanding and practice of this wonderful Vedic technique called Yoga.

V.V.Balasubramanian

YB-ET

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The Marina Breach…

The Jallikattu protests by the students started of just like the people against corruption movement started By Sri Anna Hazare at New Delhi, and it veered off like just that movement. This should be a lesson for the youngsters who started this with good intentions. It is not just enough to start a movement, but sustaining it in the same avowed path is also more important. The chances of such movements getting hijacked by vested interests are more and those who were in the forefront should have been careful about this. Anybody who has witnessed such democratic protests being exploited by vested interests earlier, like the one happened at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi, would have said that this will also follow suit. The indications were very obvious from the beginning and any sane mind would have recognized it easily. First and foremost was the fact that Jallikattu is a Hindu Tradition, part of the Hindu Festival Pongal, which is also celebrated as Makara Sankaranti all over India was never told by the people who were protesting. They wanted to whip up the linguistic passion of the people of Tamilnadu and were terming this as a Thamizhan Tradition, meaning Tradition belonging to Tamils. They chose to hide the Hindu identity to get support from the Pseudo secular media and the fringe elements. Never ever there was any voice raised against the cattle trafficking which is the reason for the dwindling number of the native cattle in our country. Ban against Cow Slaughter was not a demand by these misguided youths who were protesting. Ban against Cow slaughter is an inherently important issue upon which hinges the future of our Native cattle breeds. The fact that they didn’t do these also gives rise to the doubt whether these anti national elements who hijacked the movement were there right from the beginning, and whether it was they who goaded the youngsters to drop the Hindu identity from their protest. 

This sinister looking start to the movement meant that it surely going to get deviated at a later stage when the anti-national elements feel that they can carry it on by themselves. The mass hysteria of the people of Tamilnadu, who were ignited by the pseudo pride and linguistic jingoism paved an easy way for anti-nationals to percolate inside and poison the crowd. Many Hindus felt that these protests would enable for a concrete action from the government to bring back Jallikattu, which they dearly wanted. So they too turned a blind eye to the dropping of Hindu identity. When the issue was heading towards a plausible solution, the ugly heads of these poisonous minds started showing up. The state government drafted an ordinance, and it was given assent by the Home ministry and then by the Hon’ble president. At that time these usurpers of the movement started asking various other demands which were not there in the beginning. The people who started the movement also resigned themselves from the protests and were booed for that. Slogans against the central and state governments, especially against our Prime Minsiter were raised much to the anguish of the youngsters who were watching all these helplessly. All these could have been avoided had they not shunned their Hindu identity in the beginning, because these anti nationals are also virulent anti hindus and they would never work for a Hindu cause. It was an unholy alliance formed by the leftists, Missionaries, Jihadis and the Pseudo rationalist tamil Jingoists, trying fish in the troubled waters. It is a lesson learnt in a terrible manner for the Hindus in Tamilnadu. But it has also brought out in the open who their enemies are. Hindus have a weird tendency not to learn any lesson from history. Let’s pray to that almighty that it doesn’t happen this time.

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Samartha Bharat

We celebrate Samartha Bharat Parva from 25th December to 12th January. Swami Vivekananda had started his historic meditation of three days on the future of India at the mid-sea rock at Kanyakumari on 25th and 12 January is Swami Vivekananda Jayanti. Swami Vivekananda had harped on the fact that India has to become capable of fulfilling her destined role of guiding the world in spirituality. Therefore, we celebrate this period from 25th December to 12th January as Samartha Bharat Parva focusing in the strength and capability of India and the ways to further enhance it. Samartha Bharat Parva culminates in grand celebration of Swami Vivekananda Jayanti. 

Swamiji said, “The whole world requires Light. It is expectant! India alone has that Light, not in magic mummeries, and charlantism, but in teaching of the glories of the spirit of real religion-of highest spiritual truth. That is why Lord has preserved the race through all its vicissitudes unto the present day. Now the time has come. Have faith that you are all, my brave lads, born to do great things! Let not the barks of puppies frighten you-no, not even the thunderbolts of heaven-but stand up and work… 

Give and take is the law, and if India wants to raise herself once more, it is absolutely necessary that she brings out her treasures and throws them broadcast among the nations of the earth, and in return be ready to receive what others have to give her. Expansion is life, contraction is death. We commenced to die the day we began to hate other races, and nothing can prevent our death unless we come back to expansion, which is life. We must mix, therefore, with all the races of the earth. …Let us calmly and in a manly fashion go to work, instead of dissipating our energy in unnecessary frettings and fumings. I, for one, thoroughly believe that no power in the universe can withhold from any one anything he really deserves. The past was great no doubt, but I sincerely believe that the future will be more glorious still. May Shankara keep us steady in purity, patience and perseverance….

We want thousands of men, and thousands of women, who will spread like wild fire from the Himalayas to Cape Comorin, from the North Pole to the South Pole- all over the world. It is no use indulging in child’s play-neither is there time for it. Let those who have come for child’s play be off now, while there is time, or they will surely come to grief. We want an organization. Off with laziness. Spread! Spread! Run like fire to all places. Do not depend upon me. Whether I live or die go on spreading yourself …When death is so certain it is better to die for a good cause”. 

Thus in the celebrations of Samartha Bharat Parva, we have to organise various functions / camps / exhibitions / programs to reach the youth to give this message. The youth who come in contact with us through written cultural examinations also are to be motivated to celebrate Samartha Bharat Parva or at least the Swami Vivekananda Jayanti in their colleges. By this, they get associated with Kendra. Thus Samartha Bharat Parva is very important period for us to involve all the newly contacted persons in our work and hence, we have to plan properly. 

While sitting at the Rock at Kanyakumari, Swamiji realised his mission of life as to awaken the Hindu Nation which had lost confidence in itself. He decided to talk to the American people about Vedanta, so that if West appreciated it then the educated in India too would turn to it. Due to exploitative British Rule, the people of India were too poor. His compassionate heart also wanted to start some work to help them. Thus, he first went to America with the idea of participating in the Parliament of Religions and for collecting the money for starting some work for the poor in India. The American people responded with great enthusiasm to his exposition of Vedanta. Because of his triumph in America the missionaries undertook vigorous campaign against him. Though it did not affect his popularity, it affected his fund collection. He wrote to Nanjunda Rao, “But you must not depend on any foreign help. Nations like individuals must help themselves. This is real patriotism. If a nation cannot do that, its time has not come. It must wait.” 

But then he found that though his efforts to raise money were frustrated, his triumphant work in America had raised the confidence of India. He observed how West achieved many successes because of organized efforts. He wanted that, rise in self-confidence in India, not to be effervescent but, should lead to some concrete work through organization. For the organization, right types of men are needed. To mould the men to carry forward the work in America he found that he has to put the Vedantic truths in such a way that it moulds character. That was a difficult job. He wrote, “I have succeeded now in rousing the very heart of the American civilization, New York, but it has been a terrific struggle… I have spent nearly all I had on this New York Work and in England. Now things are in such a shape that they will go on. Then you see, to put the Hindu ideas into English and then make out of dry philosophy and intricate mythology and queer startling psychology, a religion which shall be easy, simple and popular, and at the same time meet the requirement of the higher minds - is a task only those can understand who have attempted it.” 

While attempting to take the Vedanta to the modern mind higher purpose of his birth as hinted by Sri Ramakrishna became clearer to him. In one of his letters he wrote about it- “The dry Advaita must become living -poetic- in everyday life; out of hopelessly intricate mythology must come concrete moral forms; and out of bewildering Yogi-ism must come the most scientific and practical psychology-and all this must be put in a form so that a child may grasp it. That is my life’s work.”

It is this work of Swami Vivekananda of ‘making Vedanta practical’ that we are carrying forward. Vivekananda Kendra has to do this work of Swamiji to spread the message of Practical Vedanta. Practical Vedanta in other words is the Yoga way of life. Therefore, Mananeeya Eknathji chose Yoga as the core of Vivekananda Kendra as said in our Prarthana - Karmayogaikanishtha. Our Kendra Prarthana enshrines most of the key points of how Vedanta can be practiced. Eknathji founded Vivekananda Kendra to focus on these life-giving principles and work accordingly in life. 

The prayer starts with Jaya Jaya Paramatman – victory to God. At every moment in our life, we have to choose. Our each action either elevates us or makes us more selfish or narrow. Jaya Jaya Paramatman means exercising our choice of action in the interest of the Samashti i.e. collectives like family, society, nation and the whole creation in such a way that we are elevated; the Divinity in us is more evident. Swami Vivekananda said in ‘Common Bases of Hinduism’, ‘And then comes the most differentiating, the grandest, and the most wonderful discovery in the realms of spirituality that has ever been made. Some of you, perhaps, who have been studying Western thought, may have observed already that there is another radical difference severing at one stroke all that is Western from all that is Eastern. It is this that we …hold in India that the soul is by its nature pure and perfect, infinite in power and blessed.’ This is what we remind ourselves in our prayer as ‘Vayam suputra amritasya noonam’. We can see that each line of our Prayer is to focus on the great Vedantic principles which Swamiji wanted us to practice. Thus not mere chanting the prayer everyday but also contemplating on it and practicing it in our life would make our society strong and capable to fulfill the purpose of India. 

During Samartha Bharat Parva, the Kalpataru Day is also celebrated on 1 January the day Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa granted his devotees whatever they wanted. Swami Vivekananda says that Sri Ramakrishna was born to protect our Hindu Dharma and Hindu society. Therefore, our society should emerge as Kalpataru, which would fulfill the needs of all the individuals. And what is methodology? Our prayer gives it beautifully – Jeevane Yavadadanam syat pradanam tatodhikam Let give far more than what we receive. 

Swami Vivekananda awakened the soul of India. When Swamiji returned from America in 1897, he was given a rousing welcome, - a welcome no one has received till now. It was as if the soul of India had returned to moribund Indians. Today we need to give a rousing welcome to his ideas in our heart and raise our land through organized work, to make India a capable nation – Samartha Bharat. We have to make the Vedanta simple and practical. Being one with the Chaitanya / Divinity pervading everywhere and employing the body-mind complex in the service of the divinity expressed through family, community, society, nation and the whole creation – Nishkama buddhyaarta vipanna seva vibho tav aaradhanam asmadiyam- is the meaning of Practical Vedanta or Yoga way of life. This is what we are working for raising the world to the higher consciousness for spiritual evolution. Today, this work initiated by Swami Vivekananda is the need of the hour for the whole world. Therefore, our celebrations of Vivekananda Jayanti, which is the concluding program of Samartha Bharat Parva, should be a very grand and purposeful involving many persons at all strata of the society. 

Nivedita Raghunath Bhide

Impacts of demonetization.

When the Prime Minister announced about the demonetization on 8^th November 2016, it sent a wave of surprise to all in the country and a shocking blow to those who have amassed millions of unaccounted money. While the shock and surprise are yet to dip, the effects of demonetization are already beginning to show. While the hoarders of Black money are shedding crocodile tears about the sufferings of the common man standing hours together at the bank to exchange his old currencies, their allies in the guise of journalists and financial experts are finding loopholes in the arrangements. Many of them argue that this should have been better planned, so that the misery of the common man could have been avoided. This was not only a very bold and selfless initiative done by the government but also a very secretive one, to which only very few people are privy. And Modi baiters very well know that any level of planning and gearing up would have alerted the very men who are the real targets of this action. Don’t think that they are ignorant, they are only being complicit. Hoarders would have immediately converted their ill gotten money into any other form. But it is also not correct to say that the government caught the common man and small time traders unaware. If you look at the various steps taken by the present government you can very well understand that the government is taking a steady but sure step towards bringing the parallel economy to task. First it was the Jan Dhan Yojana scheme which could get a total of 25.51 crore new accounts as on 9.11.16, which basically comprises of farmers and people in rural India. This paved way for a direct link between the common man and the government getting rid of the touts and middlemen who are the reason for the pilferage in all of the government welfare schemes. As a result of this common man could get the benefits directly from the government subsidies. This gave a blow to the corrupt politicians who used to siphon the grants given to the public. This also brought a major chunk of our population into the banking practices.

Then the government announced the voluntary income disclosure scheme, giving a lengthy rope to the wrongdoers to correct themselves. A total of 65,250 crores were disclosed through this scheme. The demonetization step followed these previous actions, which is quite logical. Already around 5.5 lakh crores have been deposited in the bank within 2 weeks of this announcement and various reports are coming about sacks of cut notes being dumped into sewage canals. So if anybody is surprised by the government’s stern action it is only because of the corrupt and callous governance to which they are used to, for the past several decades.

Government is pushing the country towards more banking transactions and more transparent accounting. This may also be a step towards a cashless economy, as many are hinting about. The gradual transition towards digitization and a cashless economy will definitely help curb corruption in the long run. The increased transparency and record of transactions will make it considerably difficult to hold black money and carry out under-the-table deals. The added convenience of using digital payment solutions and virtual wallets can’t be ignored either.

While announcing this demonetization program, Government stressed that it is the only avenue available to curb the hawala market and the funding which comes to the terror groups. Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) network will be dismantled by the demonetization measures. Taking out 500 and 1000 rupee notes out of circulation will have a lasting impact on the syndicates producing FICN's, thus affecting the funding of terror networks in Jammu and Kashmir, North-eastern states and Naxalite hit states. But we seldom see any news channel, discussing about this intent of the government. They probably would have thought that even the very mentioning of the word terror, would hurt the sentiments of a “section of people”. And as if to assuage the wounded hearts of those people they are inventing stories of suffering to common man. It is not to be forgotten that many of these news channels are actually floating on very same corrupt money, which the government want to get rid of.

With nearly five state elections in 2017, demonetization has stunned political parties. Especially, in large states like Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, cash donations are a huge part of "election management”. In one stroke, big parties will find themselves hamstrung as cash hoards are often undeclared money. Parties will have to completely rejig campaign strategies in light of expected cash crunch

We should bow before the Prime Minister for taking such a bold decision, which he very well know, is going to get brick bats from his detractors and also could lose him favors from his own admirers. But he has taken a decision which no one has dared to before. This action has shaken many of our people. This action is intended to purify the national veins from the clogged pollutants it has acquired over several decades, an action to revitalize the values. This is a direct call to our conscience. A positive take away from this action is that many among the youth are welcoming this move. That gives a glimmer of hope about the future of our nation.

V.V.Balasubramanian

YB-ET

Uri, Unity and Understanding

News:At around 5:30 a.m. on 18 September, four terrorists attacked an Indian Army Brigade headquarters at the town of Uri near the Line of Control in a pre-dawn ambush. They are said to have lobbed 17 grenades in 3 minutes. As a rear administrative base camp with tents caught fire, 13-14 army personnel were killed. A gun battle ensued lasting six hours, during which all the four terrorists were killed. Additional 19-30 soldiers were reported to have been injured in the attack. Combing operations continued to flush out additional terrorists thought to be alive. Most of the soldiers killed were from the 10 Dogra and 6 Bihar regiments. One of the injured soldiers succumbed to his injuries on 19 September at R&R Hospital in New Delhi, followed by another soldier on 24 September, bringing the death toll to 19

Another terror attack. Another case of loss of lives. Another set of condemnation. Another case of getting back to Business as Usual. Are we reading it right. Yes I am afraid. But the initial look of it, the case looks like “one more added to the list”. But it is not just another terror attack and not just another case of loss of lives. This attack is right inside a Military base. The losses of lives are of our soldiers. This tantamounts to an act of war. Not that a soldier’s life is more precious than that of a normal civilian. But the signals and intent are different. When 19 army personnel lives are lost, it’s a huge embarrassment to the security establishment of a country. And immediately you hear a round of condemnation from those in power and positions. And then after a week everyone gets back to their routine. We hope that the routine is disturbed at least this time, as this is a case of war and this is the deadliest attack on security forces in Kashmir in two decades.

Soldiers do not join the forces signing up to die. But a former Editor of a leading National Newspaper thought so and tweeted that way. The same thought was put across previously by a couple of secular politicians during previous attacks. There seems to be complete lack of sympathy or empathy in the hearts of a huge percentage of our citizens when it comes to the attacks on security forces. Let it be the cases when Maoists have attacked and killed our security forces or when during these types of terror attacks, the general public doesn’t seem to feel the pinch or the pain or share their anguish. The usually active social media which keeps buzzing at the drop of a hat was busy discussing mundane stuff post this attack. Rightly social media erupts at any injustice or crime. If a woman is raped or killed, rightly women and men rise up in anger and fill the social media and the streets with posts and protests respectively. If anyone from any underprivileged section of the society is attacked or assaulted, rightly the rest of the citizens stand up for them and criticize such attacks. If a dog is thrown from a terrace by two psychopaths, the animal activists and the rest of the society too rightly vent their anger in social media and create pressure to nab those culprits.

We have to be happy that such inhuman and criminal acts aren’t acceptable in our society and hence the citizenry is reacting rightly with frustration, anger and anguish. But when it comes to the lives of our soldiers and police, all these real life activists, social activists and armchair activists go into hiding. The youth of the country keep themselves busy with cinema, cricket, their own state related issues, memes, forwarding jokes and what not. Some Tamil dailies carried the suicide of a suspected murderer in its front page as Headline news pushing the martyrdom of these 19 soldiers to a smaller space in the newspaper. This is kind of apathy is truly shocking and worrying especially when its seen amongst the youngsters of this country. This is kind of non-reaction doesn’t make them less patriotic or less human. I am not here to certify who is more patriotic and who is less patriotic. But these are the times when one has to stand up and stand shoulder to shoulder for the sake of our security forces who are braving against many odds and are ensuring that we sleep peacefully daily at our homes. Lack of sympathy and empathy and having no anger or pain at such times demoralizes our security forces. They feel let down at the most important and crucial juncture. 

Such a callous attitude from the citizens encourages the government of the day too to not react in a manner that is expected out of them. There has been lack of accountability and responsibility after every terror attack. There has been either lack of intelligence or in this case intelligence inputs weren’t acted upon. No heads have rolled post any attack. Fortunately this government is showing at least some kind of stronger intent (which we are hopeful will get translated into action) when it comes to dealing with situations like these. The number of terror attacks has come down sharply. The Prime Minister in his Independence Day address, made stunning remarks on the problems in Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. We would still have to wait and watch what the follow up steps are in this regard. Pakistan has openly stated many times in the past that their strategy has been to bleed (weaken) India through a thousand cuts internally. It can never afford to go for a direct war initiated from its end openly. It will continue to push for covert operations, infiltrations and terror attacks. The time is ripe for India to pay back Pakistan similarly by giving a taste of its own medicine. And the Prime Minister’s statements on Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and Pashthunistan looks promising. For a tooth, an entire jaw must be the approach that needs to be followed. For every attempt on Kashmir by them, should be countered with strong actions from our side on Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan Pashtunisthan.

The attack was preceded by a phase of disturbances and violence in the Kashmir Valley clearly supported by the forces across the border. For the first time our security forces after lot of thought and consideration, used pellet guns to put the violence to rest. But shamelessly, some of the mainstream media channels, pseudo-intellectuals, secularists, pseudo-progressives and pseudo-liberals attacked the government and the security forces instead of condemning the violent protestors. They didn’t dare to questions as to what role do children play in street violence and protests. The Indian state was portrayed as a rogue state to the outside world by these criminals. That the security forces put at risk their lives and they too were getting injured and killed in the violence was completely hidden by these criminals in their coverage, posts and statements. Worryingly though the number was very less, anti-national Tamil forces organized and drummed up support for the Kashmiri cause during this troublesome phase. Similar acts were enacted from Bengal and other places too. The Uri terror attack has followed up these disturbing events. That’s a very important point to note. Sections of mainstream media and the other usual suspects after initially expressing caution, have now gone back to the old ways of building bridges with Pakistan by ask for talks, people to people engagement, Bollywood and Paksitan cine industry engagement in each other’s countries and playing cricket. And sections of the youth and sections of mainstream society not being bothered or not being anguished, pained and angered with the Uri attack is calling for some radical steps to change the narrative of the country.

There definitely needs to be a change in the curriculum at both school and college level by including our rich and victorious military history in the syllabus. More exposure about the life in the Armed forces and interest in the armed forces should be given to the students through the National Cadet Corps (NCC) by increasing the strength and budget for the NCC cadets. The cine industry must be encouraged to make more movies about our victorious military campaigns and war heroes. The novel idea of Param Veer Vandanam being done in the annual Hindu Spiritual and Service Fair in Chennai where school students offer their respects and salute to the Param Veer Chakra awardees recognizing their supreme sacrifice for the nation should be encouraged to be practiced at least once in a year in all the schools in the country. The government should reach out the senior Military officers and retired military personnel to get inputs and novel ideas to bring the armed forces much closer to the civilian population’s heart and mind. These and many other radical and sensible steps must be taken by this government to ensure that its citizens are on board at all times for the sake of the armed forces. The government should also come out with a stronger message and action which will ensure that not one more life is lost in this nation to Pakistan’s designs. So it’s a two pronged strategy that the government should think about and play out – one will be internal to change the narrative and two will be external to set the narrative. Our best wishes and support to the Indian government in this regard.

Sreenivasan .B.R

YB-ET

Subjugation is what they want, not tolerance

The award wapsis, 'con star' echoing their fears and their wife's fears have all heated up a total non-issue into a hot headliner. Entire mainstream media is abuzz with discussions about the safety of minorities. Hindus with no media to vent their point of view have taken to social media.  The illogical, preposterous and the ridiculous allegations have been rightly rebutted in the social media. While countering these absurd allegations we should also try to find out the reasons for them at this juncture, especially when no big communal tension has erupted in the last sixteen months. Is it to derail the investments which are bound to come due to the initiatives taken by our Prime Minister, by projecting that this land is not safe enough for investments? Is the 'intolerance bogie' a creation of the Pseudo secular Intellectuals as they are not able to tolerate anything other than their ideology? Is it a ploy to veer the voters away especially during the assembly elections from the corruption free and development plank with which the ruling party has almost eclipsed a party which has ruled the country for six decades? Or is there something else which lies underneath the carpet which is too obvious for all of us to ignore?

Let us see some of the actions/decisions by this Government in the last one and a half year. Swacch Bharat programs, Make in India Initiatives, Jan Dhan Yojna schemes, Pahal Yojana scheme, Billions of dollars which are bound to come in as Investments due to the steps taken by Prime Minister are all not mere rhetorics. They are concrete action plans which have already started to materialize. But the signs of a Government which is not just focused on economic development but also keen on safeguarding the interests of the nation's cultural heritage came to fore through the cancellation of licenses of nearly 15000 NGos and announcing a 500 cr package to resettle the kashmiri Pundits. Choking the funds for the NGOs, many of which were actually indulging in nefarious and anti-national activities covertly was one main reason behind all these agitations. The '5star activists' are rattled as their funds are choked and not only that the government is also investigating about their erstwhile activities. The result is the rage which we see in the media. The Jihadis and the missionaries who are behind these NGOs are finding this new turf a difficult one to play on. They are not used to this kind of assertion. The Jihadis and Missionaries have all along toyed with a society which was lacking in self-esteem, confidence and courage. What they actually want and expect is subjugation and not assertion. Even after independence our country seldom showed this kind of assertion as it was ruled by people who were more like proxies to the colonial rulers.

This is a sign of a nation coming out of the shackles. If the rumblings are more, be assured that we are progressing in the right direction.

V.V.Balasubramanian
YB-ET

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Bring back values…

First it was the Ambedkar – Periyar study circle in IIT Madras and then the strike by ‘Students’ in Film institute Pune. These are certainly the aftershocks of the jolt felt by the support drained left lobby which is trying to resurrect itself after getting a blow from the recent elections and the consequent political activities. One may wonder about the role of politics in the varsity campus. But that is where it is deeply entrenched and spreading its roots. Varsity is the testing ground for all the budding politicians. They get groomed there by learning all goondagiris and then enter the real stage. Capturing a country politically is only a battle half won. Knowing this the ‘comrades’ are using the varsity as a place to indoctrinate the gullible students. On the other hand text books will be written by leftist intellectuals deriding desi culture and projecting all aspects of our Dharma as malicious. This multi-pronged attack at the psyche of a nation is brutal and would have spelt doom for any culture within a decade. It’s a surprising fact that our society has withstood this onslaught for the past several decades and still has zeal to fight back. It’s a case of State trying to quell the aspirations of the Nation.

Through surreptitious means the comrades were successfully making the State Fight against the Nation, though they never came to power in the Centre. The electoral victory last year for the right wing and the subsequent victories in the states like Maharashtra has shaken them from their dream. And the repercussions are what we see in the form of Varsity protests. It’s time for the present government to change the way education is given. Modern education is only career oriented and it is sans any virtue. It churns out zombies who apes what the Media wants them to do, which often falls on line of perversion. It does not teach self-control nor does it emphasize the significance of harmony with fellow Human beings. It is a far cry from age old values like Truth, Honesty, Compassion etc, which an evolved person should express while interacting with the society. Decline of Moral and Cultural standards in the society has direct bearing to our abandonment of values.

The increased number of rape cases, and other pervert abuse cases are a result of this desertion. Swami Vivekananda said, “Education is not the amount of information that is put into your brain and runs riot there, undigested all your life. We must have life-building, man-making, charactermaking, assimilation of ideas. If you have assimilated five ideas and made them your life and character, you have more education than any man who has got by heart a whole library…The ass carrying its load of sandalwood knows only the weight and not the value of the sandalwood.” If education is identical with information, the libraries are the greatest sages in the world, and encyclopedias are the Rishis. The ideal, therefore, is that we must have the whole education of our country, spiritual and secular, in our own hands, and it must be on national lines, through nationalmethods as far as practical.”

--V.V.Balasubramanian

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VIVEKANANDA KENDRA CALLING - Ma.Eknath Ranade

Young India today is throbbing with life and activity. There is a ferment all round among the people, especially among the youth — the students. Even during the exciting phases of the freedom struggle against the British Government, such wide-spread commotion and unrest as is now prevailing was not witnessed. It is indeed a sign of our country returning to its normal health.

Unrest, like zest, is a sign of robust life and is a harbinger of progress. It generates energy and activity. Social unrest, even though it may sometimes bring in its wake violence and consequent human suffering, is still preferable to social tranquility born out of the people’s inertia. Social inertia indicates people’s loss of power to react to any challenging situation confronting them and is, there­fore, as dreadful as paralysis in a human body. A glaring example of that sort of social quietude was witnessed during the horrible man-made famine of Bengal in the year 1943. While multitudes of people were being denied food and were starving, the grain shops and restaurants, situated right in the midst of those hungry millions, were seen carrying on their business as usual without the least fear of being attacked or looted. This could happen, obviously, not because the people had reached a Paramahamsa state or were too conscientious to take to avowedly criminal acts for a morsel of food or just for their physical survival; there were neither food riots nor did the people resort to looting for the simple reason that they had lost all power to react, resist or assert. Some western correspondents who were in Bengal, then, expressed great surprise over this pheno­menon which they considered inconceivable in their own countries.

In fact, if we look back to our history of the past several centuries, our country had been under the spell of utter inertia (Tamas), except for brief periods of manly vigour and activity here and there. It is said that Bakhtiyar Khilji with a handful of horsemen rode all the way from Delhi to Bengal, traversing the vast plains of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, but that none of the people on the way felt like challenging this band of armed foreigners. It is further said that these Turks managed to straightway enter the palace at Nadia, the then capital of Bengal, and massacred the inmates while the king, Lakshamana Sen, fled by the back-door. Even granting that there is a lot of exaggeration in this historical account as taught in schools, and that perhaps only a fraction of it may be true, the fact remains that the people had lost their vigour and the will to resist and were as inert as stocks and stones.

Even during Swami Vivekananda’s times he had to face the same appalling insensitiveness of the people. His biographers report about an apparently queer piece of advice Swami Vivekananda felt like giving to a lazy and indolent youth, who had approached him with a desire to know from him what he should do to know God and how he was to get free. Swamiji who knew the questioner to be quite a do-nothing fellow asked him: “Can you tell a lie?” The boy replied, “No”. Swamiji then said to him, “Then you must learn to do so. It is better to tell a lie than to be a brute, or a log of wood. You are inactive, you have not certainly reached the highest state which is beyond all action, calm and serene; you are too dull even to do some­thing wicked”. Of course, Swamiji said all this satirically and out of his exasperation over the vegetating young boy. But this shows amply that even in Swamiji’s days the apathy of the people was one of the major problems before the country.

Today, however, the people in general, and the younger generation in particular are showing signs of an awakening from a long stupor of centuries. They have begun to feel, and react to situations favourably or unfavourably, according as they are palatable or unpalatable to them. Authorities, whether in charge of universities or industries or those at the helm of government administration, can no more take the people for granted; nay, even the parents are not able to command submission from their youngsters.

The question “Can you tell a lie?” put by Swami Vivekananda to a typically lazy and inactive student of those days, has no relevance today. Because, the student of today has ceased to be the passive and submissive creature that he was yesterday. Today, he is full of energy and his activity covers such novel spheres as Swami Vivekananda could not have even imagined then. Even an average student of today can truthfully say that he is capable of not only telling a lie, but can also pelt stones at passenger-buses and trains, and even remove fish-plates from the railway track just for the fun of it ; he can as well set fire to buses, trains, buildings and even knife his teachers just to satisfy his curiosity to know how newspapers would report the incidents next day.

Similarly, the general mass of people and especially the younger generation have now totally got rid of their old passivity and sub­mission. They have not only regained their normal capacity to feel and perceive but have also developed an ultra-sensitiveness. Even the presence of an invigilator in the examination hall makes their blood boil — nay, the very system of examination irritates them. They are equally sensitive, and even allergic, to the sight of bus-conductors asking bus-fares from their fraternity, railway inspectors detecting ticketless students, gate-keepers in cinema halls checking up tickets or even policemen obstructing stone-throwing.

In short, the country has, at long last, shed its torpidity and the people now are up and doing. As long as the entire nation was numb with inertia, nothing could be expected except a gradually increasing deterioration. But, by the grace of God, the country has turned the corner, and the people have become conscious of themselves and their capacity to do and undo, and to build and destroy.

One may take an alarmist view of the present trends in the younger generation. But, in fact, there is more reason to rejoice than to be frightened. Because it is not through the peace of the graveyard but only through the dynamism of action, whether good, bad or even wicked, that nations, sooner or later, light upon the right vision and adopt the course ordained for them. Out of the present exuberance of meaningless or destructive activity of the young, there is bound to emerge soon the next phase, the dawn of wisdom and discrimination (Vivek) which will make the country re-discover its mission andgive a new creative direction to all its endeavours.

                                                                                                                                      Ma.Eknath Ranade

Yuva Bharati : Youth Icon August 2015

He lived Swami Vivekananda

From the moment he was inspired by the idea of a rock memorial for Swami Vivekananda he allowed that idea to take up his entire being. The idea evolved on him; first the rock memorial to Swami Vivekananda – in that last piece of Indian mainland where the great son of Mother India visualized his mission and then a living memorial to Swami Vivekananda – an institution of dedicated men and women - a non-sanyasi order of workers for spirituality based social empowerment of the down-trodden and the renaissance of the Indian society. His spirituality was all encompassing. He created an institution that took care of the toddlers in Balwadis ; an institution that also published the most authentic and elaborate book to date on the contribution of India to world civilization;

How did this become possible? Eknathji himself explains how this happened:

How will I justify while talking to the people for money for putting up the structure? Will a simple structure be enough to perpetuate Swami Vivekananda’s memory? All these thoughts came to my mind. I said to myself that whatever came should be welcomed and at the same time we should plan in such a way that some good was achieved out of this Memorial when it came up. This Memorial should form a nucleus for something still greater. What would be that and how this situation could be made best use of for that purpose?

With this fireling seeded in his heart he started working. And the fireling became a mighty flame illuminating all his works and guiding all his actions; it attracted all the needed ingredients – both human and material. By 1967 as the work was progressing and new challenges in the form of unforeseen problems arose in the mission of building the rock memorial, his vision of the living memorial was becoming more concretized. In his letter dated 21-12-1967 he wrote:

I can assure you that this big Vivekananda Memorial is destined to develop into an equally big and even bigger centre of activities envisaged and preached by Swami Viveakananda. …in the fullness of time, the Committee’s plans in this regard are finalized and people of intense feeling and devotion like you are called upon by the Committee to come forward to take up the work of serving the poor and the downtrodden.

At last when the Rock Memorial came up against the tides of all odds, it was not just a physical building on the rock as a tourist attraction or mere architectural memorial with no life left. But what emerged was a living memorial of humans united by the mission of serving the poor, fallen and the downtrodden through many means – from teaching Yoga to conducting livelihood classes in rural areas to taking quality modern education to the tribal communities in the far away border states which vital for the national security to publishing invigorating literature.  Here then is a classic example of how one single idea taken up by a person transforms him into a great nation builder. Eknathji is the living example of the words of Swami Vivekananda:

“Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life; dream of it; think of it; live on that idea. Let the brain, the body, muscles, nerves, every part of your body be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success, and this is the way great spiritual giants are produced.”

In the same way in approaching the people for the building of the Rock Memorial and getting not just donations but their heartfelt support as well as possible contribution beyond the financial contribution, he shunned none based on ideology or other divisions. Beyond the cloaks and colors of politics and ideologies which people were wearing, he was able to see their Hindu heart. In his own words:

There is almost a uniform idea or aspiration in the minds of all people belonging to different political groups as to what should be the future of India.  But then because of politics you find differences. It is the politics that divides us. Political considerations make two people separate even though they belong to the same group and have similar ideas. Politics makes them speak in different tongues. So if we steered clear of politics and restricted our activities on the basis of our cultural heritage of what we call Bharath, to catch up several of our old values, we may perhaps gain equal support from all sides. … In the heart of hearts all are real Hindus, children of the soil.

   

These were not mere words of Eknathji. He acted upon them. He approached every Member of Parliament, Nehruvian secularist, Lohiaite, socialist, Marxist, cultural nationalist and even Dravidianists. And he was able to touch and revive the deeply buried Hindu heartbeat waiting to be resurrected by such a touch of understanding and hope. The Rock Memorial was built on the ability of Eknathji to feel the dormant Hindu spirit in all Indians and rekindle it through the dialogue of the heart. Once again that is the very fundamental road map Swami Vivekananda had given us:

Let them follow their own path to realisation so long as they struggle to see truth in their own hearts; and when the broad, naked truth will be seen, then they will find that wonderful blissfulness which marvellously enough has been testified to by every seer in India, by every one who has realised the truth. Then words of love alone will come out of that heart, for it has already been touched by Him who is the essence of Love Himself. Then and then alone, all sectarian quarrels will cease, and we shall be in a position to understand, to bring to our hearts, to embrace, to intensely love the very word Hindu and everyone who bears that name.   

Eknathji lived Swami Vivekananda and in such a life the spiritual heartbeat of the Hindu nation has been validated once again. 

                                                                                                 Aravindan Neelakandan

                                                                                              

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