AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

V SUNDARAM

        'Hindus of the world unite! You have nothing to lose but your chains.'

        All the Hindus of the world are celebrating the 80th birthday of Ashok Singhalji, International President of the Vishva Hindu Parishad. A Committee of eminent citizens drawn from all walks of life, with R Sethuraman, Vice Chancellor, Shastra Deemed University as Chairman of the Committee, is celebrating the event at Kamaraj Memorial Hall in Chennai today (September 12, 2006). His Holiness Jagadguru Shree Jayendra Saraswathi Shankarachariya Swamigal of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam, Poojyashree Shri Vishvesh Theertha Swamigal of Pejawar Mutt, Udipi, Thavathiru Shantahlinga Ramasami Adigalar of Perur, Thavathiru Shri Swamy Gowthamananda of Ramakirishna Mutt, Chennai, Thavathiru Shri Ooran Adigal of Vadalur and Thavathiru Shri Ragavananda Swamigal of Shankaran Koil are participating in this function to offer their benediction to Shri Ashok Singhalji. Dr Mural Manohar Joshiji MP and former Union Minister for Human Resource Development will be presiding over this function. Shri K S Sudarshanji, Sarsangchalak of the RSS is expected to participate in the function. Shrimathi Vasundara Raje Sindiaji, Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Shri Shivaraj Singh Chauhanji, Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh and Shri Ramansingji, Chief Minister of Chatisgarh have also kindly consented to offer their felicitations to Ashok Singhalji.

        R Sethuraman, S Vedantham, Dr Subramanian Swamy and S Sampath Kumar, VHP President, Tamilnadu, will also be offering their felicitations to Ashok Singhalji on this auspicious occasion.

        Ashok Singhalji, through his personal example of a life of long struggle, unremitting service, rectitude, courage and self sacrifice for the glorious cause of protection and advancement of Sanatana Dharma for a lifetime, has won a unique place for himself in the minds and hearts of more than 900 million Hindus in the world today. He was born in Agra in the old United Provinces in September 1926. He took his Degree in Metallurgy from the Benaras Hindu University. Inspired by the ideal of selfless service for the nation, he joined the Rastriya Swayam Sevak Sangh (RSS) in the early days of his youth. Thus, though born in a very wealthy and affluent family, he voluntarily chose a life of selfless service, struggle and sacrifice for the cause of Hindu Nation, Hindu Religion, Hindu Society, and Hindu Culture.

        Under his inspiring and exalted leadership, the Vishva Hindu Parishad (Sanskrit for 'World Hindu Council'), widely recognized by its initials 'VHP', has become a mighty a Global Hindu organization. VHP is an offshoot of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). It was founded in 1964. Its slogan is Dharmo rakshiti rakshitah, or 'By defending what is righteous, you will be protected.' Its symbol is a banyan tree.

        After Mohammed Ali Jinnah created Pakistan in 1947 based on his clear vision of a separate nation for Muslims, Nehru became the self-styled Jinnah for the Muslims of India operating under the vicious vote-bank politics of pseudo-secularism and state sponsored quota raj of communalism and casteism. Guruji Golwalkar showed to the world after 15 August, 1947 that his soul-force was superior to the official and military might of the Communist Government of India under Jawaharlal Nehru who all the time awaited instructions from the secularly irreligious, humane and compassionate Stalin! Nehru's dastardly attempts to wipe out Hindu religion and Hindu culture— in short Sanathana Dharma— were stoutly resisted in a democratic manner by the RSS under the magnificent leadership of Guruji Golwalkar whose birth centenary is now being celebrated in all parts of India and abroad. Shri Guruji saw clearly that the Congress Party, under the leadership of Nehru was putting Hinduism in a state of mortal peril. Many a great Hindu social thinker in India in the late 1950s also felt the need for a forum for bringing the Hindus of the world together. Guruji conceptualized the founding of such an integrated Hindu organization which he called the VHP and continued to guide it for the next few years.

        The simple facts relating to the creation of VHP have to be told. Sarsangh Chalak of RSS Guruji M S Golwalkar entrusted the responsibility of creating a front to voice the concerns of the Hindu society to Shivram Sanaukar Apte. Apte contacted 600 distinguished personalities through correspondence and personally contacted about 200 thinkers, philosophers, and leading persons of various sects. In addition he contacted about 40 organisations and persons working outside India. A meeting was proposed by these personalities to discuss the idea and take it ahead. Accordingly, a meeting was held at Paw, Sandipani Sadhanalaya, Mumbai, on the occasion of Sri Krishna Janmashtami on 29 - 30 August 1964. It was decided at the meeting that the name of the proposed organisation would be VISHVA HINDU PARISHAD. It was also resolved that a world convention of Hindus would be held at Prayag (Allahabad) during Kumbha Mela of 1966 to launch the organisation. It was further decided that it shall be a non-political organisation and that no office bearer of any political party shall be simultaneously an office bearer in the Parishad. The following aims, objectives and goals were set before the Vishva Hindu Parishad:

        1. To consolidate, strengthen and make invincible the global Hindu Society by following the eternal and universal life values based on Sanatana Dharma and work for total welfare of humanity on the basis of the unique cultural ethos of Bharatvarsha.

        2. To promote activities of education, medical aid and relief to the poor or any other activity in the advancement of general public utility for furtherance of literature and scientific and socio-religious research.

        3. There shall be no discrimination on the grounds of religion, sex, caste, race or colour at any time amongst the beneficiaries of the Parishad.

        4. For fulfilment of the above-mentioned objects if any activity is carried out which requires money to be collected in the form of sales, charges for boarding and lodging, distribution of books, literature etc., then the prices and charges will be such that as far as possible they will not yield any profit.

        5. To keep in touch with all the Hindus living abroad, and to organise and help them in all possible ways in protecting their Hindutva and Hindu heritage.

        The VHP says Bharat has historically been a Hindu nation, in culture, heritage and history. Islam was brought to India by foreign invaders who imposed it upon millions of Hindus (corroborated by many historic acts of temple destruction, pogroms and mass conversions); Christian missionaries brought in Christianity when the Portuguese, French and the British colonized the land. It is a fact that Christian missionaries often denigrated and demonized the Hindu Gods and Hindu religion in order to coerce native people into conversion. While working to reconvert Christians, tribal peoples (native Hindus) and Muslims to Hinduism, the VHP states that all Muslims and Christians were Hindus in the first place, and that all citizens of Bharat are naturally Hindus. The VHP demands are broadly as follows:

        *  Creation of Ram temple at Ram Janmabhoomi

        *  End of forcible conversions by Christian missionaries and Islamic institutions.

        *  Ban on cow slaughter.

        *  Declaration of India as a Hindu Rashtra, literally Hindu Nation.

        *  Tougher anti-terror laws and tougher penalties for terrorists.

        *  Implementation of a Uniform Civil Code.

        *  Revocation of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution.

        *  Erasure of Casteism from Hindu society.

        The Vishva Hindu Parishad convened its First World Conference at Prayag (Allahabad) in 1966. The First Karnataka State-level Conference was held at Udupi in 1969. Both these conferences were attended by a record number of delegates and blessed by the Dharmacharyas of all the major religious orders and traditions such as Shaiva, Vaishnava, Veerasaiva, Bouddha, Jain, Sikh, Aryasamaj, etc.

        During all the critical moments of emergency for Hinduism, Ashok Singhalji always made himself available as an indomitable khastriya to defend all Hindu causes. When Mandal Commission came out to create a new structure of planned and caste-based vote-bank communal system, Ashok Singhalji launched the Ram Janmabhoomi Movement. This movement united all the Hindus of India. Likewise he launched a national movement called Ekathma (Gangajal) Yatra, it inspired all the Hindus of India to come together and march shoulder to shoulder on the path of Hindutva. Under his overall guidance, VHP is conducting thousands upon thousands of Satsanghs for achieving a spirit of social solidarity among the Hindus in the villages of India. VHP is involved in a very significant way in organized welfare activities in the field of education, medicine and public health, tribal welfare, child development, women's welfare etc. the VHP is also running 2087 education centres, 19000 single teacher schools, 110 libraries, 103 hostels for the scheduled tribes, apart from countless Child Welfare Centres. Ashok Singhalji is a great champion for the cause of erasdication of untouchability

        He has always declared: 'Commit yourself to a dream. We live by faith or we do not live at all. Faith is the antiseptic of the soul. I am seeking, I am striving, I am in it with all my heart. I do not want anything. I have not come into this life to take anything from anyone. There has not been one day in my life when I have not prayed to God for the restoration of the lost power of the Hindu Samaj. Let us have faith that right makes might; and in that faith let us dare to do our duty as we understand it. The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing.'