The Indian Panorama

Tag: Pranab Mukherjee

  • Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj- Ambassador of Peace

    Transforming Lives through Meditation, Ethical Living & Selfless Service

    Sant Rajinder Singh ji Maharaj
    Sant Rajinder Singh ji Maharaj
    By Dr. Renee Mehrra

    Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj is an internationally renowned  spiritual teacher, an ambassador of peace, scientist, and an acclaimed author, offering a compelling vision for global harmony and oneness. He is the head of Science of Spirituality (www.sos.org), a nonprofit, non-denominational organization that focuses on personal transformation through meditation, ethical living and selfless service under his spiritual guidance. Science of Spirituality has a special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations since 2013, and also maintains a presence as a club with the United Nations Staff Recreational Council. The organization’s global outreach is extensive with over 3400 centers worldwide. It regularly responds to natural disasters with financial assistance, food, clothing, and volunteer relief workers. In addition, it sponsors blood drives, annual free eye clinics, and provides medical resources to needy communities.

    Born in India and educated as a scientist in the United States, Sant Rajinder Singh Ji  has a keen understanding of both mysticism and science. He  embodies a lifelong commitment to inner and outer peace, bridging science and spirituality, and sharing to a global audience the timeless spiritual wisdom in a clear, logical, and accessible manner.

    Those who have had the privilege of attending his inspirational talks experience a profound sense of calm, joy, and quietude that lingers long after his programs have concluded. In today’s world of strife and stress, the powerful impact of his teachings helps cultivate a more positive and compassionate outlook on life, making individuals understand that challenges can be turned into opportunities for their spiritual growth. His simple, non-denominational meditation technique empowers people to find their center and cultivate inner resilience for a more harmonious and meaningful existence.

    A prolific author, Sant Rajinder Singh Ji’s publications include books in fifty languages, among them are; Inner and Outer Peace through Meditation, Meditation as Medication for the Soul, Spark of the Divine, and Building Bridges through Meditation. Since 2020, Global Meditation in Place has been streamed every Sunday at 10 am EST featuring his weekly talks and meditation sessions that help to nurture one’s spirit, and foster spiritual growth. His unwavering dedication to the human unity movement has led to his global efforts to help humanity transcend racial, cultural, religious and economic differences. He  regularly convenes International Human Unity Conferences in India to bring civic, social, religious, and spiritual leaders together to share their views on integrating human unity into their communities.

    In his various keynote addresses around the world, including at academic and medical institutions, United Nations, US Coast Guard Academy, and the National Institute of Health, Sant Rajinder Singh Ji outlines a sustainable blueprint for world peace, successful leadership and social transformation through meditation that leads to inner peace paving the way to building bridges of outer peace and unity in the world, A strong advocate for conscious living, and eco-friendly lifestyle, he has promoted Veggie Fest, one of North America’s largest vegetarian and vegan lifestyle festivals in Chicagoland. Take the Vegetarian Challenge,” and Take the Meditation Challenge initiatives underscore the importance of responsible consumption and production, and address environmental and health concerns. These represent a significant contribution to the Sustainable Developmental Goals of the United Nations particularly those related to Good Health and Well Being (SDG 3) and Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG 12).

    As founder of 24 Darshan Academy K-12 schools across India and South America  Sant Rajinder Singh Ji has been tirelessly cultivating a generation of peacemakers for tomorrow, enhancing their spiritual quotient and making them embrace universal values of truthfulness, non-violence, interconnectedness, and respect for all.

    Sant Rajinder Singh Ji is being felicitated by former President of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee, 2016

    Sant Rajinder Singh Ji  has been felicitated and honored for his global efforts toward unity and peace from international and national leaders. These accolades include recognition by the former President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee,  Award from the President of the State of Mexico, Extraordinary Grand Cross Award by the Governor of Quindío, Colombia, US Congressional Citations, Exemplary Service to Humanity from New York State and New Jersey, Peace Award  by the UN-NGO community & Interfaith Center of New York, Distinguished Leadership Award  for Peace and Spirituality, Illinois Institute of  Technology Chicago, and many more…

    Sant Rajinder Singh Ji’s message of inclusion, and personal transformation through spirituality and meditation  has profoundly impacted global efforts to promote human unity, dismantle the walls of racial prejudice, bias and intolerance, and foster an environment that contributes to a better and more peaceful world. In his words: “True happiness comes when we connect with the source of joy within us: our soul and God.” 

    This holiday season, let us all embark on an introspective journey of self-discovery and unwrap the priceless gifts of joy and inner bliss that await us, and embody the change we want to see on earth.

    (Dr. Renee Mehrra is an Award-winning Broadcaster and Civic Leader)

  • India in history this Week- August 20- 26, 2021

    August 20

    1597:     Dutch East India Company’s first ship returned from East Asia.

    1828:     The first session of Raja Ram Mohan Roy’s Brahmo Samaj was held in Calcutta (now Kolkata).

    1897:     Ronald Ross identified malaria-causing anopheles mosquito while working at the Presidency General Hospital in Calcutta (now Kolkata).

    1921:     Start of Mopala Rebellion in Malabar, Kerala.

    1944:     Former Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi was born.

    1979:     Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh resigned from his post.

    1988:     A magnitude 6.5 earthquake in India and Nepal killed a thousand people.

    2011:     India’s famous historian Ram Sharan Sharma died.

    2018:     Vinesh Phogat of India won the gold medal in the 50 kg category of the Jakarta Asian Games women’s wrestling competition. She became the first woman wrestler in the country to achieve this feat.

    August 21

    1790:     The British army, led by General Meadows, captured Dindigul in Tamil Nadu.

    1931:     Pandit Vishnu Digambar died.

    1972:     The Wildlife Protection Act was passed in India.

    1988:     One thousand people died due to the severe earthquake that hit the Indo-Nepal border.

    2005:     The ceasefire agreement between Bangladesh and India’s Border Security Force concluded.

    2006:     Renowned Shehnai player Ustad Bismillah Khan passed away with Bharat Ratna.

    2008:     The Caravan-e-Aman bus service plying between Muzaffarabad, the capital of Srinagar and ‘Pakistan-occupied Kashmir’, resumed.

    2008:     In 2008, India joined hands with NASA on the Moon mission.

    2009:     The Indian Navy’s fighter aircraft ‘Sea Harrier’ crashed in the Arabian Sea after flying from Goa in 2009.  Commander Saurabh Saxena died.

    August 22

    1639:     The British East India Company established Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu (erstwhile Madras).

    1818:     Warren Hasting, the first Governor General of India, died.

    1918:     India’s first proficient pilot Indralal Rai was killed in an air battle with Germany in London during the First World War.

    1921:     Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi lit Holi of foreign clothes.

    2012:     Pranab Mukherjee was elected the 13th President of India.

    1996:     The state government changed the name of Madras to Chennai.

    August 23

    1944:     The famous heroine of Indian films Saira Banu was born.

    1947:     Vallabhbhai Patel was appointed as the Deputy Prime Minister of the country.

    1986:     Bombay’s Shambhu Apashane won the longest typing marathon by winning a world record.

    1995:     The country’s first cellular phone was commercially introduced in Calcutta.

    2011:     Scientists at the Chinese Academy of Sciences discovered the origin of the Brahmaputra and Indus rivers and completed a comprehensive satellite study of the length of their route.

    1960:     The world’s largest frog (3.3 kg) was caught.

    2008:     The Government of Uttar Pradesh nominated 16 members in the State Women’s Commission in 2008

    August 24

    1908:     The revolutionary Rajguru was born.

    1600:     The first ship of the East India Company, Hector, reached the coast of Surat.

    1690:     Calcutta city was established.

    1969:     VV Giri became the fourth President of India.

    1974:     Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed became the fifth President of India.

    1999:     Pakistan refused to consider the 8 prisoners of war captured by India during the Kargil operation as a prisoner of war.

    1910:     ITC Limited bought the third largest tobacco company in Kolkata, India.

    1925:     Social reformer Ramakrishna Gopal Bhandarkar died.

    1971:     India beat England by four wickets in the Oval Cricket Test match to register their first win on the ground.

    August 25

    1351:     Sultan Ferozeshah Tughlaq III was crowned.

    1917:     In 1917, 7 Indians serving in the British India Army received the Kigs Commission for the first time.

    1957:     India won the title of world winner by winning the final of the Polo World Championship in France.

    2003:     The 2003 car bombings near Mumbai’s Gateway of India and Mumbi Devi Temple killed more than 50 people and injured more than 150.

    2008:     The Government of Madhya Pradesh in 2008 requested to insure all students of government schools for the year 2008-09.

    August 26

    1303:     Alauddin Khilji captured Chittorgarh after defeating Rana Bhim Singh.

    1910:     Nobel Peace Prize-awarded Mother Teresa was born in Skopji, Yugoslavia.

    1914:     Bengal revolutionaries attacked the British fleet in Calcutta and looted 50 mausers and 46 thousand rounds.

    1975:     Dr. Narayan Subbarao Hardikar, a freedom fighter, journalist and Padma Bhushan, died.

  • Spyware for snooping

    Digital age calls for privacy, safety

    The expose of the use of the Pegasus spyware, manufactured by an Israeli firm — which the company claims is sold only to ‘vetted’ governments to check terrorism and crime — to conduct surveillance on journalists, politicians and businessmen, leaves many questions unanswered. An international media consortium had on Sunday reported that more than 300 verified mobile phone numbers, including those of two serving ministers, over 40 journalists, three Opposition leaders and one sitting judge, besides business persons and activists in India, could have been targeted for hacking through the spyware. The Israeli company, on its part, has said it does not operate the system that it sells to governments, nor does it have access to data. It has also refused to disclose the identity of its clients. The Indian Government has also denied the surveillance charge, saying that it has no basis, raising queries over the whole affair.

    With smartphones increasingly being used to conduct a range of functions, the revelation has raised question marks about the importance of digital privacy, safety and security. Despite its restricted use, the ease with which the spyware can be installed in the phone is a matter of concern. In 2019, WhatsApp had informed its users about the spyware, and had even filed a case against the Israeli firm, alleging abuse of its platform.

    Incidents of snooping have been alleged even earlier, like in the case of the alleged bugging of the office of then Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and when the Congress-backed Chandra Shekhar government had collapsed at the Centre. That the report should have come on the eve of the beginning of the Monsoon session of Parliament may well enliven the proceedings and it is for the Opposition to demand transparency, accountability and safeguards to ensure that the privacy of citizens is protected. Demands have already been raised for PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to clarify the issue because of an ‘atmosphere of fear among people’. In the digital age, the enormity of the task of protecting privacy and safety of citizens has also dawned in no uncertain terms.

    (Tribune, India)