Newsletter - March 2016

Rameshwaram, the anchor of Indian Renaissance

By Shri. Narendra Joshi

Rameshwaram is the symbol of India’s spiritual unity, a flowering of her genius and an anchor of her renaissance. That it is one of the twelve jyotirlingas is a well known fact. However, it has been the centre of perpetuating the Eternal Sanatana dharma from epic times to the date has amazing significance. We can attempt to understand this through the words of one of the most illustrious sons of Mother India, Swami Vivekananda.

Swami Vivekananda gave his world conquering speech at the world parliament of religions on 11th September 1993 and stirred the sinking western world in order to show them the age old Light of India. After his return to India in 1897, he reached Pamban in Ramnad. The Raja Bhaskar Sethupati gave him royal welcome. Raja even unyoked the bullocks/horses of his chariot and he with others pulled the chariot to palace. Swami Vivekananda gave a speech in Rameshwaram temple. This was a spontaneous response of Indian psyche which places a spiritual guru above the political sovereign. Moreover, Swamiji was lion of Vedanta which roared in the remote lands and gave the new hope to the sleeping giants. The welcome was unprecedented and yet pertinent to acknowledge this much awaited dawn. And what could be better place for such event than Rameshwaram! The raja erected a pillar to commemorate this historic event and got inscribed on the pillar the Upanishadic verse, a mahavakya: ‘Satyameva Jayate’ i.e. Truth alone triumphs.

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Solid Waste Management by Hand in Hand, India

Events For The Month Of March 2016The inauguration of CSR project on Solid Waste Management was held on 2nd March 2016. The event was presided over by Dr. S. Sundararaj, Minister, Youth Welfare and Sports Development Department. In the presence of esteemed guests, Mr. Natarajan, District Collector and Municipal Commissioner, Chairman and ONGC officials, Dr. Kalpana Sankar, Chairman and Managing Trustee, inaugurated the project by lighting the lamp. During the event, CMT addressed the gathering and presented about organization and the activities to be carried out under ONGC’s CSR Project.
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C.P.Ramaswami Iyer Foundation - Report on Mangal Vanam

C.P.R. Environmental Education Centre (CPREEC) in collaboration with the District Administration, Ramanathapuram has taken up the task of creating a sacred grove on seven acres of land belonging to the Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowment Department, Government of Tamil Nadu at Mangala Theertham in Thangachi Madam village, Rameswaram, under the aegis of the District Collector.

The identified land was first cleared of thorny bushes, weeds, prosopis using a JCB. A well of 20 ft. deep was dug at the site. In order to regularly water the site, CPREEC has placed water tanks (1,000 litre capacity) at 10 places to store the water which are inter-connected with a PVC pipeline across the site. The District Administration has constructed a shed to house the motor which draws water from the well for watering the site. After the site was cleared and leveled, pitting was carried out. Salt tolerant species were selected for planting. CPREEC has formed a Navagraha vanam, Rasi vanam, Nakshatra vanam, a herbal garden and planted several tree species. The number of saplings planted at the site is given below:
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Brahma Teertham

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Beautification of Car Streets

All the four Car streets around the temple were looking ugly as people have not coloured / painted their shops and houses for years. Adwaita Lakshmi group, Coimbatore came forward and supplied different colours for painting. As a part of ‘Green Rameswaram’ initiative, we carried out the painting of the shops and houses.
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