Report on Personality Development Programme for Abhyasikas

SEVABHARATHI, SECUNDERABAD

Report on Personality Development Programme conducted on December 5, 2010

Sevabharathi-Secunderabad Vibhag conducted a two and half hour interactive session on personality development for class X students (both boys & girls) studying in Abhyasikas (study centers for boys) and Kishori Vikas Kendras (study centers for girls) in and around Secunderabad, at Hindu Public school, Sanatnagar on December 5, 2010. At present 16 Abhyasikas and 17 Kishori Vikas Kendras are running in Secunderabad Vibhag.

A total strength of 150 participated in this programme. This programme was taken by
Sri Jaladurgam Ramu, Psychologist, consultant in CARE Hospital and an expert trainer for the corportae IT profesionals, in association with Sri Ramkumar Raju of Manavatha Navodaya Foundation.

The main intention of the programme is to enrich the inclination of students towards education and to build their personality. This emphasises on how to overcome the general weaknesses and misconception of pupils towards learning the subjects. In a nutshell, session covers all the mistakes committed while studying and also enhances the ones self confidence levels to set the targets and to reach them efficiently and with elegance. As this being an interactive session, entire session was lively and every student could recognise their inherent strengths. This programme certainly enriches their studying pursuits for the future.

Anti Cancer Drug developed by Cow Urine gets Patent

RSS-developed cancer drug gets US patent
PTI, Jun 17, 2010, 02.49pm IST,

NAGPUR: An anti-cancer drug extracted from cow urine and developed by an affiliate of the RSS has got a US patent for the third time for its anti-genotoxicity properties, a senior official has said.

The drug developed by RSS-backed Go Vigyan Anusandhan Kendra had earlier got the US patent as a bio-enhancer with antibiotics and anti-cancer drugs.

The research for the drug brand named ‘Kamdhenu Ark’ was carried out jointly by the Anusandhan Kendra and National Environmental Engineer Research Institute (NEERI), Acting Director of NEERI Tapan Chakraborty said.

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 Kendra told reporters yesterday.

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 research has strengthened the efficacy of ‘Kamdhenu Ark’ as an anti-cancer drug.

The research was carried out on three patients, two of them having throat and uterus cancer, Mansinghka said.

http://timesofindia .indiatimes. com/articleshow/ 6058657.cms? prtpage=1

A Study Tour on Hindu Seva Pratishtana - By Vasu

Sri Vasu, A Pracharak of the RSS from Indur (Nizamabad dist) completed a study tour of Hindu Seva Pratisthana and has written an excellent report in Telugu on the various initiatives & inspiration he derived from the work of HSP.

The article is posted at http://lokahitam.com/getarticlefromdb.php?Article_Id=685

AND the scribd link below

Vasuji's - Hindu Seva Pratisthan Tour

Nanaji Deshmukh - An Inspiration

http://www.expressb uzz.com/edition/ story.aspx? 1 March 2010

Nanaji’ as Nana Deshmukh was known in political and social circles, which he dominated for almost six decades, is no more. Many who were inspired by him in politics and outside saw and knew him as a towering idealist; his admirers and friends experienced and rated him as a great political strategist. Joining the RSS at a young age and becoming its pracharak (whole-time volunteer), he was undoubtedly a great organiser. He had intimate friends in high places everywhere. He was equally at ease with both the noble Bhoodhan movement of Vinobha Bhave and the gutter politics of Delhi. He had friends even in the garrisons of his adversaries. When Jawaharlal Nehru had banned the RSS in 1948, Nanaji Deshmukh began organising the underground movement. From where? Believe it, from the house of Rafi Ahmed Kidwai, a minister in Pandit Nehru’s government. It was public knowledge that Nehru had regarded RSS as his archenemy and had even declared that he would not give an inch in India for the Bhagwa (the flag of the RSS) to fly. Still Kidwai, a great friend of Nehru, had no issues about keeping Nanaji in house and more — allowing him to organise underground activities. This indicates the magnetic personality of Nanaji who must have been then in his twenties!

My association with Nanaji Deshmukh started with my friendship with Ramnath Goenka. Ramnathji and Nanaji were not only great friends, they both thought and felt about the country almost alike. The mutual trust and admiration that they had was rooted wholly in their love of the motherland, totally devoid of any kind of personal interest. The Nanaji-Ramnathji combine felt that no goal other than what they thought was the good of the nation. Ramnath Goenka had shaped the Indian Express not as just a newspaper. It was an active partner with all nationalist forces in the cause of the country, setting the agenda for political and social discourse. Ramnathji never knew what fear meant in life. So was Nanaji. And these two courageous persons could effortlessly infect many others of high relevance, journalists or others, with fearlessness. It was the Ramnathji-Nanaji duo that persuaded Jayaprakash Narayan to agree to lead the Bihar movement in 1974, which changed the political picture of the country.


An incredible incident made Jayaprakash Narayan to agree to the plea of Nanaji and Ramnathji to lead the movement against Indira Gandhi. I came to know of this in the late 1980s when at a dinner in the Express Towers in Bombay I asked Nanaji and Ramnathji how they brought JP into the movement. Nanaji described the thrilling and unbelievable episode. A historic meeting of Ramnathji, Nanaji, Achyut Patwardhan, the hero of the 1942 underground movement and Ramdhari Singh Dinkar, a great Hindi poet, took place sometime in 1973 in the Indian Express Guest House in Bangalore. Ramnathji, Nanaji, Ramdhari Singh Dinkar and Achyut Patwardhan, began insisting that JP should lead the movement as Indira Gandhi had become highly autocratic and had begun destroying the institutional framework of democracy including the judiciary and bureaucracy. Incidentally, Dinkar was one of the greatest friends of the Nehru family and particularly of Indira Gandhi herself. But that did not detract him from doing what he thought was his duty to the nation. JP was hesitant mainly because of his health. He was a diabetic and had acute prostrate gland issues. He said that he would not be able to live for long and his health did not permit him to undertake such an arduous task. Ramnathji assured him that he would have his prostrate operation done in Vellore, which he eventually got done later. But JP could still not make up his mind. At that point, Ramnathji suggested that all of them should go to Tirupati, have darshan and prayers and from there, go to Madras as it was known then, and continue the discussions. And they all left for Tirupati.

During the darshan at Tirupati, Ramdhari Singh Dinkar openly prayed to Lord Balaji, to the hearing of JP and the others, that whatever remaining years of life Dinkar had the Lord should give them to JP to help him serve the cause of the motherland. And they all returned to Madras and to Ramnathji’s house in the Express Estates in Mount Road. Within hours Ramdhari Singh Dinkar fell on the lap of Ramnath Goenka and died — yes he died when JP, Nanaji and Achyut Patwardhan were around. It was clear that Lord Balaji had answered Dinkar’s prayers. JP’s decision to lead the movement came in no time. Despite my several requests Nanaji had refused to write about it in the Indian Express. When I asked him how will the people of India know about it, he said that he had written in his diary and he would like it to be known after his death. Now that he is no more I felt free to write about it.

After the operation JP began to lead one of the biggest mass movements against corruption in free India and that led to the imposition of Emergency, arrest of all national opposition leaders and a ban on the RSS. That was the best period in the life of Nanaji. He was one of the initiators of the underground movement that finally exploded as the Janata wave when in 1977 Indira Gandhi, with a view to securing mandate for her autocracy declared elections to Parliament, not knowing that, without her intelligence agencies having a whiff of it, the underground movement had generated a political tornado against her. Nanaji was the architect of the Janata Party. He contested elections for the first time and won. He refused to join the ministry when Morarji Desai insisted.


Later when the Janata Party split and the Bharatiya Janata Party was formed in 1980, Nanaji announced that he would like to retire from active politics as he was attaining the age of 65. A new role — that of a social worker — to lift moral and spiritual values and to promote economic and social well-being of the distanced people awaited him. He started his work first in the most backward districts of Gonda in UP and next in the equally drought-prone and poverty-ridden Bead district in Maharashtra and finally settled to do a more comprehensive work of socio-economic progress with moral values covering some 500 villages in Chitrakoot district. The President of India Abdul Kalam visited Nanaji’s Chitrakoot project, praised and blessed it as the most suitable one for India noting that almost 80 villages in the district had become litigation free. That was his final karma bhoomi even though the whole country was his karma bhoomi. He once told me that when he was a child many days he had had nothing to eat. But that did not turn him into a naxalite. But his introduction to the RSS at the right age, and association with the right persons, had turned him into a great nationalist who lived for his motherland’s glory and nothing else.

comment@gurumurthy. net

India's 'green and clean' village

India's 'green and clean' village
Author: Jyotsna Singh
Publication: BBC News
Date: September 25, 2009
URL: http://news. bbc.co.uk/ 2/hi/south_ asia/8259789. stm

A small village in the north-eastern Indian state of Meghalaya has
become the envy of its neighbours.

Large crowds of visitors have been thronging to the village curious to
find out why Mawlynnong has earned the reputation for being arguably the
cleanest and best educated in India - all its residents can read and
write and each house has a toilet.

That is no mean achievement in a country that is still struggling to
educate its population and address basic water and sanitation issues.

About 90km (55 miles) from the state capital Shillong and barely 4km
(2.4 miles) from the Bangladeshi border, Mawlynnong is much loved by its
inhabitants who work hard to keep it clean.

Bamboo dustbins

It is five in the morning and pouring with rain. But that does not deter
a group of volunteers in the village from rising early to sweep the
roads. It is a process that is repeated several times a day.

"Some cleaners have been hired by the village council to sweep the
roads - but many villagers take turns to make sure they are swept
several times a day because it is not possible to pay so many people,"
says young volunteer Henry Khyrrum.

The streets are all dotted with dustbins made of bamboo. Every piece of
litter and almost every leaf that has fallen from a tree is immediately
discarded.

Plastic is completely banned and all waste disposal is environmentally
friendly. Rubbish is thrown into a pit dug in a forest near the village
where it is left to turn into compost.

The villagers here say that lessons in hygiene start in school so that
children can be taught from an early age how to keep their surroundings
clean and green.

Mawlynnong is one of the wettest parts of the country - and while many
parts of India are suffering under drought-like conditions this year,
the south-western monsoon has not disappointed the north-east.

While the supply of clean water and sanitation is a huge problem in
India's teeming cities, it is an even bigger challenge for the
authorities in the country's villages where these facilities are almost
non-existent.

Keeping it clean now comes naturally to most people here. The village
headman says the village council - or Darbar - maintains very strict
discipline.

'Global warming'

"There is a fine imposed by the village council for anybody found to be
throwing litter around or cutting trees. You see, the fine is just one
dollar for each such offence committed. But due to the humiliation and
embarrassment that our self-respecting people feel at being fined, they
make sure to follow the rules," says village headman Thomlin
Khongthohrem.

"Besides, the council carries out strict inspections of the sanitation
facilities in each house.

"Workshops are also being organised to make people aware of the dangers
from global warming."

Experts say Mawlynnong, like the rest of the state, has a very effective
local governance system. The society is matrilineal - meaning that land
is passed down through the female side of families - making women
economically more powerful.

Mawlynnong's reputation for being clean and green has been well
documented, and its Khasi tribal inhabitants are known to be worshippers
of nature.

Their reverence for nature is seen by some as an effective way of
preserving the forest cover.

Thambor Lyngdoh, in charge of a sacred community forest in a
neighbouring village, says the while it is true that many Khasi people
are "nature worshippers" the drive for cleanliness and education is not
about faith only.

"Even today we are very strict about how the forest can be used," he
says.

"People are allowed to take whatever they need from the forest for their
own use. But they cannot take anything more than that for any kind of
commercial use. They are punished for any violation."

Local initiative

Mawlynnong's reputation for cleanliness has even earned it a place on
the state's tourism map.

Hundreds of visitors from all over India now visit the village
throughout the year. Most of those visitors are impressed with what they
see.

"This is the first time I have come to this place. I really want to
congratulate the villagers who have made the place so beautiful and the
cleanest in the continent. There is something special about the place.
We just came to see why it has become so famous. It really is clean and
you have to give them 10 out of 10 for that," says Sanjay Saraogi, a
tourist from Shillong.

Another tourist, Euginea, says the rest of country should learn from
Mawlynnong's experience.

"I have come to this village to see its cleanliness and I think
everybody should follow the example of the villagers," she says

Mawlynnong's success is entirely driven by local initiative. It has been
so successful that the state government has been prompted to promote
eco-tourism in the area but the locals are resisting this.

"There is a fierce sense of self-determination among these people. There
are certain rules they have followed traditionally. They do not want
government to borrow ideas from outside and impose it on them," says
Deepak Laloo, a member of the Meghalaya Tourism Development forum."

The villagers are treading a path that the rest of India should be keen
to follow.

Flood Relief Activity in Kurnool, Mahabubnagar by Seva Bharati

Media News
At least 130 people have been killed in Andhra Pradesh and neighboring Karnataka due to floods resulting from heavy rains since Wednesday (1st Oct). Andhra Pradesh is facing the worst ever floods in its 60 years, as 60 per cent of Kurnool district was submerged on Friday leaving thousands homeless and stranded without food and water. Nearly two lakh people have been evacuated to relief camps in the worst-affected districts of Kurnool, Mahabubnagar and Krishna district.

The gates of several projects on the Krishna river — including Jurala, Srisailam, Nagarjuna Sagar and Prakasham — have been opened to release the flood water. While the inflow into Srisailam reservoir has touched an all-time high of 21 lakh cusecs, 10 lakh cusecs of water has been discharged from Srisailam and Nagarjuna Sagar reservoirs.

“This is a never-before-seen situation. Never in the past has the Krishna basin witnessed such floods and inflow of water into the dams. I am urging the people in the low-lying areas not to take the threat lightly. Move out to the safer places and cooperate with the officials,” said the State Revenue Minister Dharmana Prasad Rao in Hyderabad.

Army boats and Air Force helicopters Friday began to rescue hundreds of people marooned at several places. Thousands have been rendered homeless. Over 40,000 houses have been damaged. Chief Minister K. Rosaiah said the flood situation was grim and army personnel have been deployed for rescue operations. Six helicopters have been pressed into service to rescue people. While four helicopters are being used to airlift the flood-hit in Kurnool district, two choppers were deployed in Mahabubnagar district.
Preliminary first hand report from Seva Bharati Team
Seva Bharati volunteers have already started launching relief camps in affected towns of AP & Karnataka and now food is being provided to the people. As per the preliminary report received from volunteers for below 2 districts the situation is as below:

Kurnool District:
Affected Data
- Total 8 Revenue Mandals- About 6 lakh people- About 1,00,00 acre crop- Kurnool town 50% affected (2.5lakh people)- Mantralaya – famous temple of Raghavendra Swamy completely immersed in water. ( now cleared).
Relief Centre in Kurnool town being organised at G.Pulla Reddy Engineering College.
About 60,000 Food packets are being carried from Nandyala and neighbouring mandals to the relief centre.

Palamoor District (Mahabubnagar District):Affected Data
-Total 2 Revenue Mandals- About 2 lakh people- About 5,000 acre crop- 130 small lakes got cut due to floods causing at least 130-150 villages completely sub-merging in water.
15 relief centres.

How to contribute
A time for action is here again. Let us donate generously for the relief and rehabilitation of the affected people many of whom have lost everything overnight.

Online transfer of funds can be done to Seva Bharathi A/c No: 630501065297, ICICI Bank, Himayat Nagar Branch, Hyderabad. You can also draw a cheque/draft in the name of Seva Bharathi and post/courier it to below address

SEVA BHARATHI
H No:3-4-228,Opp Jain Mandir
Lingampally, Kachiguda, Hyderabad 50007
Mob: + 91 9701226830, +91 9849262868
[Please note that all contributions to Seva Bharathi are tax-exempt under 80G.]

If you are interested in joining the Seva Bharathi team at ground zero, please send email to http://arisebharat.wordpress.com/mc/compose?to=sewabharathi@gmail.com or arisebharat@gmail.com
Him I call a Mahatma whose heart bleeds for the poor – Swami Vivekananda

Extraordinary Indians: Doc who charges only Rs 2

Extraordinary Indians: Doc who charges only Rs 2

Author: A Ganesh NadarPublication:

Rediff.com

Date: December 17, 1999URL:

http://news. rediff.com/ slide-show/ 2009/aug/ 17/slide- show-1-extraordi nary-indians- ravindra- koelhe.htm

'If you want to serve mankind, go and work among the poorest and most neglected,' Dr Ravindra Koelhe, who has been serving the tribals of Melghat, Maharashtra, for 24 years, tells A Ganesh Nadar.Continuing our series on Extraordinary Indians.Dr Ravindra Koelhe, MD, lives and runs a clinic in Melghat, Maharashtra. His fee is Rs 2 for the first consultation and Rs 1 for the second.Not only is he a doctor and social worker, Dr Koelhe has also taken the government to court for having failed in its duty to protect the Korku tribals of the region.After completing his MBBS, he worked in Melghat for a year-and-a-half only to realise that he needed more expertise to handle the problems of the tribals. So he went back to medical college for an MD in preventive and social medicine."I have now been here for 24 years. In those days there were two public health centres and no roads. Once a week, I used to walk 40 kms from Dharni to Bairagarh to reach my clinic. I used to see at least one tiger every month. Since the last three years I haven't seen a single one," he says remembering his early days as a young doctor.After completing his MBBS from Nagpur University, he decided to work in rural India. An ardent follower of Mahatma Gandhi and Vinoba Bhave, he was also influenced by Ruskin Bond who wrote, 'If you want to serve mankind, go and work among the poorest and most neglected.'He toured the rural areas of Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh and decided that Gadricholi in Maharashtra was the most backward amongst his travels and decided to work there. His mother discouraged him since it was a Naxalite affected area. She told him that Melghat was equally backward and that he should work here instead.Dr Koelhe has been in Melghat since then. It has been 24 years now.