AWAKENINGS

The environment Ministry on May 26, 2017 had notified the stringent Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Regulation of Livestock Markets) Rules, 2017 derived from Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. These new rules promulgated by the notification were vehemently opposed by the State Governments of  West Bengal, Kerala etc. and United Progressive Alliances on the ground that the restrictions on the sale and ban on slaughter of cattle would affect the livelihood of lakhs of poor people and this restriction would lead to communal friction, apart from its impact on the agricultural economy. Further this will also affect the meat trade and connected leather trade etc. Meat Eaters will be affected and hence their rights of food preferences  being taken away by this notification, it may be tantamount an attack on their fundamental rights – both in the realm of food habits and also of pursuit of free trades. To show their protests and anger, the opponents of this noti...

At the politically tender age of 39, Emmanuel Macron - the newly-elected president - has shaken up French politics with the skill of a seasoned veteran. His meteoric rise in the French political arena was dramatic and had made history, as Emmanuel Macron, had fought the presidential election as a candidate after forming a new party named En Marche! – meaning “On The Move!” only on 6 th April 2016 – a year before the impending presidential election and he won with a massive lead of 66% over his rival National Front Candidate Marine Le Pen of 34%.  The initials of the party are the same as the initials of Macron’s name – En Marche – E and M! Now, the party name was changed from En Marche to  La République en marche (‘The Republic on the move’) and the party had decided to run candidates in all 577 constituencies in the national assembly elections to be held on the 11 th and 18 th June 2017 alone without seeking any alliances with confidence. And again,...

Jammu and Kashmir problem had started ever since  India was partitioned into two parts by the British on the basis of religions – Islam and Hinduism – at the time of giving Independence to India on August 1947.   Pakistan declared itself as Muslim Country, while India preferred to be a Secular Country accommodating Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Jains , Parisis , Anglo-Indians etc. with the same status and nondiscriminatory.  Unfortunately and due to wrong political maneuvers, Jammu and Kashmir at the time of partition was given a special autonomous status under Article 370 of our Constitution – the article originally drafted by the secessionist mindset Sheikh Abdullah and finalized by Gopalasami Iyyangar   and brought into our constitution thereby complete accession to the Indian Union thwarted then. This legacy of Abdullah was truthfully taken up till date by his son, grand son with the active and tacit support of all anti-national elements in the Valley...

Vinayak Damodar Savarkar (28 May 1883 – 26 February 1966) was an Indian pro-independence activist, lawyer, politician, poet, writer and playwright. Savarkar coined the term Hindutva ( Hinduness ) to create a collective Hindu identity and he was against partition of India. Akanda Bharat was his vision. Savarkar , though being a staunch Hindu, was an atheist and rationalist who disapproved orthodox Hindu belief, dismissing cow worship as superstitious. During his stay in London, Savarkar coined the following slogan, while celebrating various Indian festivals like Raksha Bandan , Guru Gobind Singh Jayanthi , to create a unifying factor for the ultimate aim to liberate India from the British Rule: “One country, One God, One Caste, One Mind, Brothers all of us, Without Difference, Without Doubt.” It was during this period that Savarkar helped to design the first Indian National Flag, which Madame Cama unfurled at the world socialist conference at Stuttgart, Germany. ...

Raja  Ram Mohan Roy  (22 May 1772 – 27 September 1833) was the founder of the  Brahmo Samaj at Calcutta in 1828 and due to his efforts, the practice of sati in Bengal was abolished. It was he who first introduced the word “Hinduism’ into the English language in 1816. For his diverse activities and contributions to society, he is regarded as one of the most important personalities in the Bengali Renaissance. His efforts to protect Hinduism and Indian rights earned him the title “The Father of the Indian Renaissance”. He was also a great scholar who translated many books, religious and philosophical work and scriptures into Bengali and also translated Vedic scriptures into English. He worked for the East India Company and extensively studied Christianity and other religions that were the reasons to make him realize that some Hindu traditions and superstitions were required to be reformed. That was the motivating factor in his starting a new reformist body – viz...

Swaminathan , as the pontiff Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi was known in childhood, was born on May 20, 1894 in Villuppuram town and at the very young age of 13, he became the 68 th pontiff of Kanchi Mutt on February 13, 1907 following the unexpected demise of the 67 th pontiff at the age of 18. He was intensively educated by the Mutt’s pundits in both religious and secular knowledge. He could converse in English, French, Swedish and a dozen Indian languages.  During his tenure, he travelled by foot almost all places in India spreading the message of Vedic culture – the backbone of Hinduism. Periyava once expressed to his devotees that ‘it is my ardent wish that every locality, every street should have a center for teaching the Vedas and the boys, from their eighth year onwards, must be put through the discipline of recitation for an hour a day for ten years. Preserving the pristine tradition of the exalted Vedic chants enshrined in the lineage dedicated to t...