APR 2019 EDITION - HSS (UK

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46-48 Loughborough Road, Leicester, LE4 5LD II [email protected] II Registered Charity No. 267309 II www.hssuk.org

Spring has certainly sprung with many of our shakhas making use of the great outdoors. This month we showcased our sporting talents as well as our spirit of sewa with tales of vistaar and volunteering..inspiring!

APR 2019 EDITION

SEASONAL SPECIAL – GLASGOW BALAGOKULUMAPR 2019 - April was a ‘special month’ for the Glasgow Balagokulam with celebration of ‘4 special sessions’ in a row. First a Holi special, followed by Hindu Nav-Varsh, Ramanavami & Navratri and still not content with celebrations – finally they celebrated Hanuman Jayanti!

The celebrations attracted 12 new families, from central or north Glasgow, and about 30 new participants from these families who received a taste of Balagokulam via this experience. Our aim was to make participants aware of the cultural background and relevant facts associated with the festivals at a deeper level, as well as to provide a taste of some special hands-on trainings as reflected below. • Holi- saw the story of Holika & Bhakta Prahalad as told by Sushmitaji and a special coloring session was led

by Vandanaji who introduced some artistic techniques to children. • Varsh-Pratipada Yugadi - saw our dedicated volunteers arrive on-time and run a Yog(a) special • Ramnavmi & Navratri - saw a story from "Sri Durga Shaptshati" and classical singing training session with

the historic song ‘Vande Matram’ • Hanuman Jayanti - we played three games highlighting life and qualities of Hanumanji and applied that to

the need for hindu-sanghathan, and the human factors involved in developing and expanding sanghathan.

An emotional highlight was provided via the attendance of grandparents from Nagpur; who were overwhelmed and extremely happy with ‘Sangh’ in Glasgow via Balagokulam. They shared past experience with regard to Poojniya Drji & Guruji at Nagpur which left us all highly charged, emotional, and happy!

Dr Shrawan Jha – Glasgow BG

mailto:[email protected]


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NATIONAL KHEL PRATIYOGITAAPR 2019 – National Khel Pratiyogita was held in Birmingham 7 Apr with over 600 in attendance. There was participation across 32 nagars with 69 Teams across Kabaddi, Kho-Kho, Ring and Football [12-15 and Under 12s] – resulting in 176 matches being played. The event was attended by the Lord Lieutenant of the West Midlands – Mr John Crabtree OBE as Chief Guest who is also the Chair of the 2022 Commonwealth Games organizing committee – who knows we could see Kho-Kho, Kabaddi and Ring represented there very soon!

Congratulations to all those that took part and to the worthy winners: Football Under 12 – Newbury II Football 12 - 15 - Finchley A II Ring - Leicester B Kho Kho - West Brom II Kabaddi - Birmingham

APR 2019 EDITION



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LEICESTER LAUNCH NEW PARIVAR SHAKHAAPR 2019 – Sevikas and swayamsevaks of Leicester nagar celebrated their first parivar shakha, together with their Varsha Pratipadautsav on 14th April (on the day of Ram Navmi) achieving a sankhya of 68. A timetable was filled with items such as fun shakha khel, inspiring amrut vachan, dhwajaropanam played with vamshis and geet focussed on Doctorji. New dhwaj mandal decor for the new shakha was displayed along with other decorations. Jaydeepji Joshi and Kamleshji Mistry gave insightful and engaging bauddhiks on concepts of Varsha Pratipada through a presentation and quiz respectfully. The attendance included a few new families and the utsav was well planned and executed by sevikas and swayamsevaks giving promise to the great future of Shiv Shakti parivar shakhain Leicester. Rakesh Patel

APR 2019 EDITION

NORTHAMPTON SHAKHA – THEY PASS, THEY SHOOT, THEY SCORE!!!APR 2019 – On 30 March, a group of 26 Swayamsevaks and Sevikas from Northampton went to watch Northampton Town Football Club. Occasionally the football club organises community days and offers free tickets to the local community groups. This was the first time Northampton Shakha received an invite and we jumped at the opportunity, with spaces going in a few days. Everyone enjoyed the experience and it was good to get to know each other and families. We look forward to further possible interaction with the football club in the future. Rupesh Mistry



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DHWAJ MANDALS – TAKING THE COUNTRY BY STORM!APR 2019 – Here’s a selection of Dhwaj Mandals from around the country. There’s creativity abound up and down the country, all marking their respect for the Bhagwa Dhwaj, Let's all ensure each Shakha and Baal Gokulam has a Dhwaj Mandal every week! Do keep your creations coming in…

APR 2019 EDITION



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APR 2019 EDITION

PROUDH SHIBIR 2019

The annual Proudh Shibir will be held this year from 8th to 9th

June in Leicestershire. The shibir is open to those nearing and over the age of 50 and is an annual opportunity to review sangh karya, meet swayamsevaks from across the UK and abroad, and refresh our community work skills to further our cause.

The activities will include appropriate shareerik, bauddhik(charcha, geet, ranjansabha) and time to mingle.

To participate please complete the ONLINE form at http://www.hssuk.org/proudhshibir or return the printed version with the Gift Aid Form (if a taxpayer), as soon as decided.

Please note a contribution of £30.00 will be collected at your local Shakha, payment methods of Cash or Cheque to “HINDU SWAYAMSEVAK SANGH UK” will be accepted.

Please ensure registration and contribution is received by Friday 28th May 2019 to your respective shakha karyakartas. For further information please send quries [email protected]

Pranam

Krishnakant V Kapadia, UK Proudh Pramukh

NEW BG - NEWTON MEARNS, GLASGOW – ONE BIG PICNIC!APR 2019 – On the auspicious day of Ram Navami and Vaisakhi, our new Balgokulam in Newton Mearns, Glasgow had a spring picnic at the famous Rouken Glen park [voted UKs best park]. A total of 44 participants took joy in celebrating the occasion with Mother Nature. After a walk in the Glen with beautiful waterfalls, the group which had over 20 children recited Shlokas, performed yoga and played several games. After a delicious lunch taken after reciting Aum Sahana Vavatu, they all made their versions of Pushpak Viman (paper planes) ensuring to leave the park as clean as we found it. Parents and kids all thoroughly enjoyed their day.

Newton Mearns is a lovely suburb south of Glasgow, Scotland, and since the inception of Bal Gokulam here a few months ago, this has become one of the fastest growing groups, with nearly 50 children registered within a couple of months. The feedbackfrom children and parents alike has been extremely positive.

Anoopji (Karyawaha) & Jaimin Bhatt


http://www.hssuk.org/proudhshibir



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SOUTH LONDON – BRINGING MUSIC TO OUR EARS!APR 2019 – On the last Sunday 31st of March, Bromley Nagar was fortunate to have had the opportunity to host the South London Vibhag Ghosh Varg.

With over 70 attendees, there was good representation from all the shakhas in the vibhag. After a short practise of Samata, the attendees were split in to beginner and advanced ganas for each of Aanak, Shankh and Vamshi. For some, it was the very first time playing an instrument while some were rusty due to lack of practice. However, all the shikshaks patiently encouraged their gana to learn some basic rachanas.

A couple of hours practice later, everyone came together to demonstrate what they had learnt. The hall reverberated with the sound of various rachanasincluding Uday, Kiran and Manjari. For a first-time session it was an almost synchronised musical performance!

It was great to see the enthusiasm of all, and with promises of practising more in their own time, all are looking forward to the next ghosh varg

Swati Bhat

APR 2019 EDITION

SISTER NIVEDITAAPR 2019 – This is an exceptional Website dedicated to Sister Nivedita. This may also be taken as a virtual archive on Sister Nivedita. The famous researcher on Sri Ramakrishna Movement, Shri Somnath Mukhopadhyay has created this gold mine of Sister Nivedita. Please visit and be enriched.

https://www.incomparablenivedita.com/

DEMOCRATIC ACCESS TOUR OF PARLIAMENT – PINNER IN PARLIAMENT!APR 2019 –A group from Pinner BG, Meerabai, Durga, Jijabai Samiti and Redding shakha visited parliament visiting both chambers of parliament, the voting lobbies, the Queens Robing room and the Royal Gallery. At St Stephen hall we were asked about petitions and one young Swayamsevak nine year old Rudra Thakkar from Reading knew the importance of starting a Government Petition, that anyone can start a petition about anything and that you need 100,000 signatures for the petition to be considered for a debate.

The Brexit debate has ignited interest in Parliament – and Hindu Youth engagement in government at all levels is necessary and crucial. The tour was organised by HarshabenJani in conjunction with parliamentary office of Bob Blackman MP. Dr Harsha Jani


https://www.incomparablenivedita.com/


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Whilst at the campsite for runaway children, a local man in his early 20s came to celebrate his birthday with the kids. He brought them food, cake, party hats and goodies. This really touched me as on our birthdays, we only think of ourselves and go out to fancy restaurants. This experience taught me the importance of putting others before myself and how simple acts can make others so happy. YFS has definitely changed my mindset and now I’m aware of small things such as not wasting water, food, being environmentally friendly and how my actions can have a positive or negative impact on the world. I would never have thought about these things if it weren’t for YFS and I will spend the rest of my life trying to develop and better myself so that I can always be of service to society.

YOUTH FOR SEWAAPR 2019 – Youth for Sewa is a 6 week summer internship program focusing on self-development through the service of underprivileged communities. Here we share the experiences of past participants and the profound impact that the experience has had on their lives.

I returned to the school in January 2019 [from late 2018] and the blind children recognised me just from my voice - I burst into a tears as it was really moving! Following my 6 weeks at the school for disabled children in Jahwar I recall a memorable moment when a young boy volunteered to sing in front of the whole school. When he grabbed the mic, he remained silent. I asked one of the teachers, ‘why isn’t he singing?’ The teacher replied, ‘because of his disabilities, he can’t talk, let alone sing!’ This experience taught me that we should learn to embrace our shortfalls and have the courage to stand up and try even if we know we might fail.

The biggest thing YFS taught me is that gratitude is the foundation to life and during my 6 weeks in Bharat, all I saw was gratitude and happiness. I aim to develop myself so that I’m more grateful of even the basic things in life like hot showers, clean running water etc. The trip to Bharat also connected me to my Motherland and I learnt that the perception of India being a land of abject poverty and misery is false. I see everyone at the school in Jahwar as part of my family now and I look forward to seeing them all again.

Ushni Rabadia

Sewa UK school for children with special needs in Jawhar.

Saagar Mehta

Samatol in Mumbai aiding runaway children

APR 2019 EDITION

Serving the soul – Sewa in puneWhilst visiting the vastis (slums), I met a 13-year-old girl, Sneha and her mum. Sneha told me that after school she has a part-time job going to different houses and doing some cleaning. All the income helps run the house. Her mum wanted Sneha to learn the value of hard work and grow to be strong and independent. It got me thinking that back home, we don’t even let kids leave the house unaccompanied due fear that something might happen to them. But how will these kids learn to grow and get out of their comfort zones if they’re always being stifled? Sneha showed me the importance of empowering young girls and making them independent. YFS has definitely helped me go out of my comfort zone and immerse myself in unknown experiences. This has helped boost my self-confidence in the process. Seeing grassroots Bharat has shown me her people’s amazing spirit and how the power of human will can overcome struggles in life. Vipasha Surange



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OUR CONDOLENCES Our heartfelt condolences and prayers for eternal peace and sadgati to the departed soul. Om shantih, shanith, shantih

WE LOVE HEARING FROM YOU!To help in publication here are few points when submitting news items:1. Provide a summary - try to keep articles down to 100 words or less,

but if you can't, be sure to include a summary. That way we ensure we don't miss out on the best bits.

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3. A thousand pictures on the other hand.... We have tremendous fun looking at your snaps, but if you can share the ones you'd suggest to include [from a google share for example], then we'll make sure that we get your best side

4. Tell us who you are - its an opportunity to get to know one another; so include your name, location and responsibility [where relevant].

APR 2019 – Shri Jasvinder Singh Rupra (55) passed away in April. Jasvinderjiwas the youngest son-in-law of Shri Dharam Vir Dhandaji – a swayamsevak of Nottingham Nagar, and involved at central level in the activities of VHP (UK).

APR 2019 – The father in law of Shri Sanjayji Vadhera, our West London Vibhag Saha-Karyawaha passed away in April in Bharat.

APR 2019 EDITION

APR 2019 – Shri Dhiraji’s [HSS UK Karyawaha] brother in law Deepak passed away in April. Condolences can be passed directly to Dhirajji.

APR 2019 – Congratulations to Shri HemjiHaria and Kalpaben on the birth of their beautiful baby boy earlier this month. Both mum and baby are well.

CONGRATULATIONS

VISTAAR REPORT – UNITY IN DIVERSITY and BREAD & CHIPS!APR 2019 – Praveshji undertook vistaar in the UK from Jan to April. Originally from Trinidad and Tabago [T&T], Praveshji shares with his experiences, learnings and progress against his Vistaar objectives.

Vistaar ExpectationsI expected the Vistar experience to be very serious. People in Trinidad said that HSSUK is very much more organised and bigger than HSSTT. I was very intimidated by this as I kept thinking what use am I if they are better? Surprisingly this was not the case when I arrived, it was fun from day one. And swayamsevaks here without knowing, got me over this fear of not being good enough by saying that time is the most important thing a swayamsevak can give, not about any other skills you are bringing to the table.

Vistaar Experience I made so many friends while in the UK. I grew no antagonism to any swayamsevak or sevika. Even though the weather was very cold compared to T&T, the people were very warm at heart. They were very nice to me and treated me with care to the point I thought I did not deserve it. I learnt new skills, such as planning more effectively and socialising with people of different cultures. I picked up a lot of graphic design and printing skills from Jiteshji for HSSUK and NHSF events. I really learnt what unity in diversity means by meeting new people all with a unique perspective on life. I had many Indian dishes, Gujarati, Punjabi and Marathi food to name a few. From vegan dessert delights from sevaks and sevikas to the infamous Woolwich Bread and Chips (B&C’s), there was not a meal that I did not like, but thoroughly enjoyed. Of course, I gained some weight. I have stayed over and been to over forty homes and involved in eight shakhas. I learnt to love my own country even more, by being an ambassador for my country as everyone wanted to know how life is in sweet sweet T&T.

The above is an excerpt – but please do see the attached Full Report.

Pravesh Rampersad


APR 2019 EDITION - HSS (UK

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