Sewa Sandesh

I S S U E 1 2 9 J U N E 8 , 2 0 1 0

SEWA INTERNATIONAL
DELHI
From Editor’s Desk
INSIDE
Some of the traditions among the Hindu society have degenerated along the
THIS ISSUE:
time, one such being the tradition of “Devadasi” prevalent in North Karna-
taka, South Maharashtra and some adjoining districts of Andhra Pradesh.
One of the girl children in a family will be dedicated to the Deity in the local
Sewa Volun- 2
Mandir, rendering the young girls without a family as she will be married to
teers Take up the Deity. Dr. Bhimrao Gasti, born in a tribe that offers Devadasi, has suc-
Rescue Op- cessfully rehabilitated more than 700 such Devadasis and has also established
eration
institutions that offer free hostel & education to such young girls from those
Rashtriya 2 tribes. Fighting all possible odds including murderous attacks and political op-
Sewa Bharati position, this loner has penned some novels in Marathi and some other lan-
guages. He was felicitated on the occasion of his “shashtipurtee” – completing
60 action-packed years of his life. Sewa International wishes this ideal “Sewa
Nepali New 5 vratee” a long healthy eventful life.
Year Celebra-
tion
Sewa Volunteers Take up Rescue Operation
Agastya 6 At Mangalore Air Crash Site
KARNATAKA wit- was not an easy task at
nessed its worst ever air the site as it was heavily Kumar, local MP, also a
mishap on May 22 when forested and sparsely swayamsevak, was there
Guyana Blood 7 an Air India Express populated area. With the from 7.00 am to 7.45 pm
Boeing 737 flight carry- fire brigade personnel leading the operation
Donation
ing 169 passengers on and emergency staff, with local karyakartas.
board overshot the run- local Sewa Volunteers Due to the bad weather
way while landing at involved themselves in the rescue operation got
Food for 7
Bajpe airport at Manga- the rescue operation. delayed, however exten-
Thought lore and got burst into They extended timely sive support from public
flames. The flight was help during the day long and Sewa Volunteers
coming from Dubai. It rescue operation at the was extended timely.
was a cloudy Saturday air crash site. Shri BG Chengappa, di-
Contact 7
morning with heavy More than 100 volun- rector of Karnataka Fire
rains. The mishap re- teers from the nearby and Emergency Services
sulted in the death of areas rushed to the spot also rushed to the spot
158 passengers includ- and started rescue op- and led the rescue work.
ing the crew members. eration from 6.40 am
The rescue operation onwards. Shri Nalin
ISSUE 129
Rashtriya Seva Bharati:
A lifeline for Voluntary Organizations
Rashtriya Seva Bharati (RSB) was es-
tablished in Delhi in December 2003.
There are hundreds of organizations
serving the underdeveloped and the un-
derprivileged throughout the country.
They are addressing different social con-
cerns like education, rural development,
health, social rejuvenation, economic
self- reliance, nationalistic and character
building, relief and rehabilitation during
the natural and man-made calamities.
Today there are more than 1.57 lakh pro-
jects and programs of this kind, run by
more than 700 such organizations in-
spired by the ideology of Rashtriya
Swyamsevak Sangh.
Rashtriya Seva Bharati “A-Z Service”
for voluntary organizations-
 RSB helps in registering the trusts
and societies, conducting the surveys,
analyzing the problems and identify-
ing the needs of a particular village
or slum.
 Guiding affiliates to establish and run
a functional office.
 Reaching out to new volunteers and
orienting them to serve in various
fields of social life.
 HR development and fund manage-
ment
 Assessing the impact of the Running
Projects and achievements of the af-
filiates.
 Helping affiliates in generating the
PR material and reaching out to the
society in general.
PAGE 2
Idkidu
village in
Karnataka –
 To get them feel confident in their transformed
effort to build strong and nationalis- the village
tic society. life through
Activities of Rashtriya Seva Bharati
various
Publications:
Seva Disha: RSB publishes the assess- programs
ment of activity every 5 years that cov- like organic
ers all the organizations, their area of farming,
activity, types of activity and details of water
beneficiaries, etc. harvesting,
Seva Sadhana – RSB publishes an is-
gobar gas
sue focusing on one of the Seva related
issues providing the All Bharat plants and
glimpses. Following are the issues pub- Mandir
lished by RSB in last couple of years: based social
2007 – Activity in urban slums activity
2008 – Illuminating seva experiences which
2009 – Rural development & related
resulted in
experiments.
Training: bringing
Workshops for Rural Development: An harmony
all Bharat workshop was held under the among all
aegis of RSB in Chitrakut, on the border castes and
of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh in classes in
2007 in which 120 activists from all the
the village.
states of Bharat participated. Experts
from rural development, organic farm-
ing, cow based agriculture, education,
and others guided the workshop.
Reorientation Program for State
Level Teams- RSB holds a National
Reorientation program for state level
teams drawn from all states once in
every three years. The last national re-
orientation program was held in Delhi
in 2008.
 RSB…
PAGE 3
Assessment & Evaluation: RSB
conducts a national evaluation and
assessment program every year to
keep tabs on the programs and their
In the tribal villages
performance. This evaluation of ac-
of Nandurbar tivity provides inputs to the organiza-
tion to improve quality, economize
District of Satpuda the activity, effective implementation
mountains, of programs, understand the benefici-
ary, etc.
Maharashtra state, Till now, RSB has conducted three
Dr. Hedgewar Seva Assessment programs : i) Free hostels
being run across the country ii) Free
Samiti has clinics and iii) Arogya Rakshak Yo-
successfully jana – village health worker.
Some schemes through the affili-
provided livelihood ates-
Education:
in many tribal
 Education being priority, empha-
villages through soil sis on Yoga, Sanskrit, Sports,
Music, cultural knowledge,
conservation, water
Bharatiya Ethos.
harvesting, effective  Alternative educational systems
like Gurukulam, Ekal Vidyalayas
agricultural (one teacher school), interstate
cropping patterns Hostels for students from North
East Bharat.
together with  1200 Ekal vidyalayas in Jhark-
educational and hand helps double the literacy rate
in the state from 30% to 60%.
awareness  The spread of education in other
programs. states have also helped awareness
regarding health & hygiene
among the students and their
families.
 State Govt. of Delhi felicitated
Seva Bharati, Delhi for providing
primary and vocational education
to Street Children- Chief Minister
Sheela Dixit gave State Award to
Seva Bharati.
 In Palmur district of Andhra
Pradesh, the children are provided
productive education like bicycle
SEWA SANDESH
repairing, book binding, lamina-
tion, etc. Such income generating
activity boosts their confidence to
be entrepreneurs in future.
In this way, these initiatives serve
many types of educational needs and
reach a variety of deprived groups.
Health:
Arogya Rakshak Yojana-
Implemented in thousands of villages
in many states of Bharat providing
primary referral as well as preventive
healthcare in remote villages.
Thousands of youth have been trained
to work as Arogya Rakshak in their
own villages, benefiting the local vil-
lage health.
Arogya rakshaks also run Yoga
classes, hygiene awareness, dietary
awareness, etc for improving health.
Rural Development:
Rashtriya Seva Bharati has been en-
couraging integrated rural develop-
ment in many parts of the country
through affiliated organizations.
RSB dynamically promotes-
Organic, semi-organic, integrated and
cow-based farming.
Cultivation of medicinal and aromatic
herbs.
Producing medicines from cow milk
& urine and related products.
Food and fruit processing are special
features in some states.
Idkidu village in Karnataka – trans-
formed the village life through vari-
ous programs like organic farming,
water harvesting, gobar gas plants
and Mandir based social activity
which resulted in bringing harmony
among all castes and classes in the
village.
In the tribal villages of Nandurbar
District of Satpuda mountains, Ma-
ISSUE 129
RSB…
harashtra state, Dr. Hedgewar Seva Sa-
miti has successfully provided livelihood
in many tribal villages through soil con-
servation, water harvesting, effective ag-
ricultural cropping patterns together with
educational and awareness programs.
Motivating and mobilizing people, pro-
viding technological support and brining
in a feeling of oneness is the goal of
Gram Vikas activities.
Social Rejuvenation
These activities ensure building a society
with a healthy character. Temples are
often the hub of these activities, which
silently mitigate social evils like un-
touchability and alcoholism.
Matru Mandalies- Women’s weekly
gathering – generating awarenss
Kishori Vikas- Supporting development
of adolescent girls
Yoga and awareness activity in Jails
among the jail mates.
Legal Counselling for women.
Balagokulam- the Global Network of
Religion for Children (GNRC) affiliated
with the UNICEF has brought forth
Balagokulam as the model for value edu-
cation in the world.
Indians living in USA and some other
countries have already set up Balagoku-
lam for their children. Balagokulam has
grown to occupy an important place in
the social life of Kerala, having origi-
nated there.
Economic Self Reliance
Self-Help Groups (SHGs) have been the
most powerful tool in empowering peo-
ple with economic self-reliance. Seva
Bharati institutions are providing a multi-
tude of skill trainings for rual and urban
youth, and women.
Economic activities, coupled with
character building, are distinct fea-
tures of RSB-inspired projects.
PAGE 4
 Self Help groups in Tamil Nadu
have empowered women in rural
areas of the state-bringing in self
reliance.
 Considering the discipline, financial
transparency, response from the ru-
ral masses and excellent team work, the
State government recognized Seva
Bharathi Tamilnadu’s SHGs in 2002.
Balagokulam-
 Women beneficiaries in these villages of
TN have worked on micro enterprise. the Global
 Men are now following the women-
forming SHGs. Network of
Aid during calamities
The country has faced many natural calami- Religion for
ties in the last few years like the Tsunami
and the flood of Kosi. Rescue, relief and Children
rehabilitation were taken care by the karya-
kartas. Hundreds of schools, homes, (GNRC)
Mandirs and livelihood opportunities were
provided for those devastated by these ca- affiliated with
lamities. During the Mumbai terrorist attack
on 26th November 2008, the karyakartas the UNICEF
supported the police and citizens with food,
water, medical help, and blood. The Jaipur has brought
bomb blasts too had karyakartas rushing for
immediate relief of the wounded. forth
Youth for Seva
 Desire among the youth to serve the so- Balagokulam
ciety has grown many fold.
 They wish to volunteer their time and as the model
talent for community development.
 “Youth for Seva” project launched un- for value
der Hindu Seva Pratishtana in 2007.
 YFS motivates the youth, connects them education in
to grassroots projects.
 Trains them in the skills required and
the world.
orients them.
 PAGE 5
Nepali New Year Celebration Organized
In Denver, USA.
DENVER, USA: "Hindus
settling in the western
countries can lead their
lives as proud Hindus
and preserve their relig-
ion, heritage and cul-
ture" Dr. Ved Nanda, the
president of the Hindu
Swayamsevak Sangh
(HSS), USA declared here
recently.
Colorado Addressing big gathering of Bhu-
Bhutanese tanese Hindu Community of Colo-
rado at the Nepali New Year cele-
Community, bration in Denver, Dr Nanda urged
Hindu
the community to continue their
Hindu way of life in America and
Swayamsevak assured that they have the free-
dom and cultural environment to
Sangh (HSS),
do so.
USA and Sewa He asked the Bhutanese Commu-
nity to be vigilant and not fall prey
International to the proselytisation efforts by the
had organised Christian missionaries. It is essen-
tial and possible to continue many
the event. More Hindu practices such as daily
puja, bhajan, keertan and temple
than 400
worship in the US, he observed.
Bhutanese Dr Nanda praised the Hindu Com-
munities in Suriname, Guyana
participated in and the Caribbean countries as a
the celebrations. model for Hindus worldwide for
preserving and promoting Hindu
religion and culture for genera-
tions. He also stressed that many
Hindus in the western
countries have success-
fully maintained their
Hindu identity.
Speaking on the occasion,
Dr. Vijayaraj Sharma, a
professor of economics at
the University of Boulder,
encouraged the Bhutan-
ese families to preserve
their unique religion and
SEWA SANDESH
culture and not to be intimidated
by their external environment in
America.
Neelam Shreshta, president of
the Rocky Mountain Friends of
Nepal (RMFN) chaired the event
and offered support to the Bhu-
tanese families. Colorado Bhu-
tanese Community, Hindu
Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS), USA
and Sewa International had or-
ganised the event. More than
400 Bhutanese participated in
the celebrations. HSS and Sewa
International are working very
closely with the Bhutanese refu-
gee communities across the US
to help them settle in and main-
tain their Hindu identity in an
alien country.
Bhutanese Hindus were driven
out of Bhutan for political rea-
sons during the early 1990s. Af-
ter living in refugee camps in Ne-
pal for 18 years, these families
have been offered refuge by the
US and other western countries.
Out of 60 thousand Bhutanese
accepted by the US, more than
24,000 have already arrived and
settled in various parts of the
country.
 PAGE 6

Agastya: Sparking Creativity In Rural India

Development pro- lieves in the fact that we
gram and Young In- learn about 5% of what
structors Programs. is taught to us in a lec-
Agastya seeks to fill ture, 10% of what we
the gaps in the In- read, 50% of what we
dian education sys- see and hear, 70% of
tem that threatens its what we discuss with
socio-economic de- others, 80% of what we
velopment. The con- experience and 95% of
ventional Indian edu- what we teach. Ramji
cation system instils Raghavan, a former NRI
little creativity in banker came back to In-
Agastya runs one of Spread over a vast area children and teacher dia with a vision of pro-
of 170 acres of rocky education is generally viding education to poor
the largest hands-
wasteland in Kuppam, a divorced from classroom children and teachers –
on science deprived rural area in realities. Agastya’s pro- education that would be
Andhra Pradesh, jects overcome these the opposite of conven-
education programs Agastya International problems with their tional techniques and
in the world! foundation believes that unique features which this led to the birth of
complete learning is a involve idea generation Agastya, named after
Agastya does this by combined form of shik- and testing through the Maharshi Agastya, fa-
bringing hands-on sha (education), sam- creativity Lab, creativity mous for spreading sa-
skara (values) and san- generation for poor and cred knowledge to south
science education sara (world). It focuses disadvantaged through India, as a charitable
to the rural masses
on transforming the interactive and engaging trust in 1999.
critical and much ne- learning methods, learn- Agastya was started off
through the use of glected area of primary ing linked to environ- successfully on the path
and secondary educa- mental goals, emphasis of building a creative
outreach programs
tion of the rural masses on developing behav- India of ‘thinkers, solu-
like “Science on in India, including chil- ioral skills and a close tion seekers and crea-
dren and teachers. link between teacher tors’ that are ‘ humane
Wheels” (Mobile
Agastya runs one of the education and the class- anchored and connected’
Labs), Scinece Fairs, largest hands-on science room system. by impacting over 3 mil-
education programs in Agastya: Science on lion children and
Teacher the world!Agastya does Wheels 120,000 teachers from
Development this by bringing hands- If you ever hear Ramji vulnerable and disadvan-
on science education to Raghavan (Founder, taged communities and
program and Young the rural masses through Agastya International the model is scalable and
Instructors the use of outreach pro- Foundation), you would replicable anywhere in
grams like “Science on certainly hear him talk the world.
Programs. Wheels” (Mobile Labs), about the learning pyra-
Scinece Fairs, Teacher mid as he strongly be-

SEWA SANDESH
 Sewa international Delhi

49 Deen Dayan Upadhyaya Marg
New Delhi 110002
sewainternationaldelhi@gmail.com
www.sewasandesh.blogspot.com
www.sewainternational.org
It is high time for the scientific work-
ers in India that they exert their in-
herent right to live like decent citi-
zen and shoulder responsibilities
for the betterment of their mother-
land.
- Meghnad Saha.

Sewa Hi Parmo Dharma

Sewa international

Successful Blood Donation Drive in Guyana

SEVA-Guyana, SVN and the CI Temple have together sponsored an-

other successful blood donation drive, on Sunday 23 May 2010 at SVN.
The unit count at this time is 261. The Ministry of Health has assured
that it continues to be the biggest drive in the Caribbean. With luck and
hard work Seva-Guyana wants to make it to 396 next year which is the
number of Indians (some say 406) who landed in Guyana in 1838. It is
noteworthy that in 2009 it was 214 and in 2008 it was 176.