Showing posts with label Gujarat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gujarat. Show all posts
Wednesday, 23 April 2014
Tuesday, 22 April 2014
Wednesday, 19 March 2014
Why Narendra Modi decided to contest from Varanasi???
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What would be the benefit from this move? Despite being
on the anvil for several months, these two questions hit everyone in the face
the moment the Bharatiya Janata Party made the announcement late Saturday
night. Answers to these questions are actually in two realms: immediate
electoral calculations and the much bigger political and cultural context.
For Modi to secure a mandate that reduces his dependence on other parties to form a government, it is essential for BJP to do spectacularly well in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Anything less than 50% of the 120 seats for the party from here is likely to become an impediment.
Geographically, Varanasi is close to the midway point of the land tract comprising the two states. Eastern UP and the Poorvanchal region of the state jointly account for almost half the seats in UP.
Modi's presence in Varanasi will have significant traction-effect in Bihar and other parts of UP. But, this analysis of number-crunching is superficial and fails to go beyond the predictable realm. Modi visited Varanasi for the first time after being anointed BJP's prime ministerial candidate in December 2013. He did not go directly to the rally venue.
Instead, he visited the Kashi Vishwanath and Sankatmochan Temples prior to this. Both are iconic temples and the former has been one of the three shrines over which the Sangh Parivar waged the agitation in the mid-1980s that is singularly responsible for BJP's rise.
The agitation for the removal of the Gyanvapi Mosque has not been waged after the demolition of the Babri Masjid. But with Modi's candidature from the city, the issue is likely to be become a talking point in the course of the campaign and its immediate aftermath.
Modi has not overtly played the C-card so far like he did in 2002 (refugee camps being babyproducing factories) and has opted to speak in similes (you need chest size 55 inches to convert UP into a Gujarat). But his move to contest from the preeminent Holy city of Hindus that is also mired in historical conflict may introduce a strong undercurrent of polarisation.
In December 2013, in his speech, Modi said he came from the "land of Somnath to take the blessings of Baba Vishwanath". The lines between religion, politics and culture were also not delineated by Modi when he affirmed that cleaning the Ganga River and running the programme efficiently was as much a political commitment as a religious duty.
The river is after all, not just a carrier of flowing water but a cultural stream and an embodiment of the Mother figure for the majority. In the heydays of the Ayodhya agitation, party elders of Modi argued that it was not just for the construction of a temple but for the assertion of cultural nationalism.
Varanasi is culturally referred as Kashi, the place to attain Moksha or liberation. In mythology this liberation is from the cycle of life but in Modi's campaign, emancipation is necessary from a government till recently routinely called Delhi Sultanate with a Shahzade waiting in the wings.
Varanasi is associated more closely with Lord Shiva in comparison to other Gods of the Hindu pantheon, most importantly the other two in the Triumvirate, Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahma.
With Modi from Varanasi, Rajnath Singh from Lucknow and Arun Jaitley from Amritsar — choices soaked in political, cultural and religious symbolism — the BJP underscored the rise of the new Triumvirate or Trimurti. The common religious chant of the city and Lord Shiva is Har Har Mahadev.
The slogan being used for some time to drum up support for Modi has a striking similarity: Har Har Modi, Ghar Ghar Modi. This is clever use of symbols, language, culture and religiosity interwoven into one. Allahabad was Nehru's political home. It is the city of the Sangam, symbolic of India's spiritual pluralism.
Modi's residence will lie on the banks of a singular stream of India's spiritual heritage. There must, after all, be a raison d'etre for choosing this seat from the 80 available in Uttar Pradesh!
(The writer is the biographer of Narendra Modi)
Monday, 24 February 2014
Serving the humanity - Sahyog Kushtha Yagna Trust
Serving the humanity - Sahyog
Kushtha Yagna Trust
Leprosy-afflicted
persons are the most crippled even
amongst the cripples; they are treated as untouchable, neglected by relatives
and ostracised by the society. They live the life as in hell, living on
pavements or in huts, waiting for the end. To give them human dignity, security
and love is a stupendous task. Sahyog Kushtha Yagna Trust has taken up this
task.
Mentally
challenged people also pose many problems to their relatives. The heartless
society not only mocks at them, but forces them towards madness. Shrimad
Rajchandra Mansik Apang Mandir for males is the only residential centre in
Gujarat for such adult mentally-challenged males. Founder of the Trust,
Sureshbhai, clearly understood that due to misconceptions and strong prejudice
of the Indian society against leprosy, the rehabilitated leprosy persons would
never be able to lead a normal life in the society. Hence, he extended the
service of `Sahyog' not only to treat the patients, but also to rehabilitate
them as productive individuals and make them financially independent.
He
encouraged marriages among the male and female patients of the Ashram. The married
couples are also provided with a house to live. They are also given a charkha
(a weaving machine). With this they spin yarn and attain financial
independence.
At present, the Ashram has 111 such rehabilitated couples. Some
of them also help in the office administration, hospital, kitchen, farming,
construction and in taking care of the mentally challenged persons. The
children of these families and also of parents staying in leprosy slums of
various cities are also taken care of. These children are provided with good
education facilities. They are nurtured to become good citizens. To help them
to become financially independent, they are offered loans without interest so
that they can become self employed.
The
seeds of `Sahyog' were sowed way back in the year 1970, when a young, brilliant
lecturer Shri Suresh Soni from the MS University of Baroda started helping
leprosy-afflicted persons in the leprosy slums of Baroda. What started as a
good cause became a mission for him. Instead of a comfortable materialistic
life, he opted to help leprosy-afflicted persons.
The Trust encourages
marriages among male and female
patients of the Ashram. The married couples
are
provided with a house to live. They
are granted a charkha with
which they spin
yarn and attain
financial independence. At
present, the Ashram has 111
such
rehabilitated couples. Dressing
of a leprosy afflicted patient.
The
year 1988 was another turning point when he started Sahyog Kushtha Yagna Trust.
Sarvoday Ashram Mandhi donated 28 acres of land for this cause. Shri Suresh
Soni and Smt. Indira Soni (his wife), moved to Rajendranagar crossing, along
with 20 leprosy afflicted persons and 6 children.
At present the Trust serves 433
leprosy-afflicted persons who have come from various states. It includes 123
from Gujarat, 106 from West Bengal, 123 from Maharashtra and 81 from other
states. Among them 187 are grossly deformed; 101 spin on amber charkha; 137
help in various jobs of the Ashram and 8 are working on their own. Moreover,
the Trust also caters to 244 children.
Each
house in the Village has a Tulsikyara where in, every day at 7-30 pm a lamp is
lightened to be followed by prayer to pray the almighty God to give happiness
to all those who help the Sahyog and also to those who enlighten others to
help. The Trust has a science mobile van going to schools to create scientific
attitude and also performs science textbook experiments for the students of
Std. 5th to 10th. Van also goes to PTC colleges.
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The
organisation received the Godphrey Philips State Gold Award in 2006. State
Award by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment for the best institute
for disabled for the year 2002 was also granted.
It also bagged the National
Award of Rs. 1 lakh from Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment for the
best institute for disabled for the year 2003. It was awarded through the hands
of the then President of India Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. The National Award of Rs.
3 lakh by Ministry of Human Resources, Women and Child Welfare for the services
rendered in the field of welfare and development of children.
Contact Address:
Sahyog
Kushta Yagna Trust (Regd.No. E3982, Baroda dt 06-06-1988)
Affiliation
Number: 415 / GUJARAT
Rajendranagar
Crossing, Himatnagar-Shamiaji, National Highway,Tq Himatnagar,
Dist
SABARKANTHA-383276,(Gujarat)
Fax.02772-254537,Pres.Sh.Suresh
Soni -02772 254337,9825011185,9429241900
Email: sahyogtrust@ymail.com, Website: www.sahyogtrust.org.in
Also Read : Ashadeep Charitable Sewa Samiti, Muzaffarnagar
Thank you!!!
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