Edition# 97

ONE

She collects seeds scattered on the roadside, takes them home and plants them in paper cups. Once those seeds take hold, she gives them away. "One tree for every home" — that is Keerthana John's mission in life. A student of Class VII at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan MHSS, Coimbatore, Keerthana has so far grown 300 saplings, usually tamarind, gulmohur or vilvam. However, Keerthana does not give away her plants to all and sundry. To get a sapling, one has to answer a questionnaire: `Do you live in an independent house or a flat? Do you have space to plant one tree? Would you plant a tree? If not, why? And, would you collect and distribute seeds and saplings to others to spread the message of `one tree for one home'?' Keerthana has bought paper cups for her saplings with the money she has got by selling old newspapers and junk. The paper cups cost her 80 paise each. Keerthana hopes to enlist the help of her school and neighbouring ones to spread her green message.

Based on a report by Smt. Pankaja Srinivasan in THE HINDU of October 4, 2006. Idea: Shri. S.S.Narayanan

TWO

After the huge success of the Vedic epics the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, the Upanishads will appear on television in India. A noted Malyalam filmmaker is planning a 200-episode TV serial. The serial, called Upanishad Dhara,, seeks to explore the ancient Vedic Wisdom in all its 'beauty, subtlety and depth'. The entire project will cost approximately Rs 25 crore. The Upanishads, 108 in number, discuss philosophy, meditation and nature of God. According to the filmmaker Shri. Shaji N Karun, it is a massive project and will take two years of extensive research before filming begins. He said that the primary objective of this project is to propagate Vedic wisdom.

Based on a report in THE TIMES OF INDIA of September 27, 2006. Idea: www.globalgoodnews.com

THREE

About 50 residents of Kallampalayam in Palladam Taluk of Coimbatore district, Tamilnadu, Bharat, were enticed by a wily proselytiser and were convrted to Christianity. The were made to give up worship of Hindu deities. The proselytiser floated a chit fund, collected hard earned money from the unsuspecting villagers and fled the place. Meanwhile, many in the village were affected by Chikun Guniya epidemic last month. Now, a Hindu lady of the village, Smt. Mallika (35), swung into action, driven by humanism. She managed to arrange vehicles and got all the patients admitted to an hospital in the nearby town. She also cooked food and fed them till they got well. They returned home. At this juncture, the villagers started having a nagging feeling that they were hit by the epidemic because they had earned the displeasure of their kula devata on conversion. They all wanted to return to Hinduism but did not know how to go about it. Mallika was there to help them now as well. She invited all to come to her house. They came after taking bath. Mallika kept a big vessel full of water in front of them. Brought a few leaves of tulsi from the garden and put them in the water. She asked each one to drink a little of the tulsi tirth after sprinkling it on them all. Then she announced: "All of you are now Hindus. You will be known by your old Hindu names hereafter." All were happy and grateful to Mallika, mother of two Sevikas of the Rashtra Sevika Samiti, an all-Bharat organisation for Hindu women.

Based on a chat with RSS pracharak Shri. Sriram of Coimbatore in October, 2006.
FOUR

Scientists who worked on the Archimedes Palimpsest are using modern imaging technologies to digitally restore a 700-year-old palm-leaf manuscript containing the essence of Hindu philosophy. Each palm leaf of the sacred Hindu manuscript, the Sarvamoola granthas, was captured in multiple sections, processed and digitally stitched together. The project led by P.R. Mukund and Roger Easton, professors at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), will digitally preserve the original Hindu writings known as the Sarvamoola granthas attributed to Shri Madvacharya (1238-1317). The collection of 36 works contains commentaries written in Sanskrit on sacred Hindu scriptures. The processed images of the Sarvamoola granthas will be stored in a variety of media formats, including electronically, in published books and on silicon wafers for long-term preservation.

From www.rit.edu Idea: Dr. S. Kalyanaraman.
FIVE
More than 16,000 people poured into De Anza College, Cupertino, to be part of an exciting day, to celebrate the Hindu way of life. Hindu Sangam, a one-day grand cultural program aimed at displaying the various Hindu intellectual, cultural and spiritual contributions made over thousands of years, was organized by Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh with support from over 40 SF Bay Area organizations including Sunnyvale Hindu Temple as one of the Grand Sponsors. This event was organized on occasion of the first birth centenary of Shree Golwalkal Guruji. The day started with a yagna (offering and prayer) for world peace on the background of September 11. Attendees then participated in programs that took place on eight parallel tracks . Ayurvedic medicine, cultural program, Dharma Vedika (religious philosophy), exhibition, Hindu theme park, Samskritam, Yoga, and youth activities. This was followed by a grand Ramayana play enacted by over 300 children. Shri. Mohan Bhagawat, General Secretary of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the chief guest at Hindu Sangam, addressed the huge gathering and implored everyone to show unity in diversity. The day ended with Smt. Anuradha Paudwal entrancing the audience with her melodious music. Ms. Cindy Chavez, Vice-Mayor of San Jose inaugurated the Parallel Track Programs and said that she was honored to be present at such a grand cultural event. From www.rss.org