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"It is not the Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram's aim to withhold the vanvasis
from the mainstream. On the contrary it is striving for bringing
them back to their ancestral (Hindu) fold through national
awareness and at the game time defending their glorious cultural
and religious heritage against anti-national alien elements. Hence
their urban compatriots have a moral duty towards them," said the
Associate Organising Secretary of the Akhil Bharatiya Vanvasi
Kalyan Ashram, Shri Gunvant Singh Kothari. He was speaking at the
inaugural meeting of the Vanyogi Balasaheb Despande Smarak Samiti
at Deendayal Upadhyaya Research Institute in New Delhi on April 12.
Shri Kothari said that although 95 per cent areas of the
North-East, like Nagaland, Mizoram and others had become
Christianised, the Kalyan Ashram workers 'in these areas found that
the converted vanvasis felt themselves rootless and therefore the
need of the hour was to take up the constructive work among them by
encouraging movements like Zeliangrong Heraka Association of Rani
Gaidinliu of Nagaland which worked for the revival of and return to
their hoary past. Vanvasis need proper guidance to be reverted to
their glorious cultural roots and socio-religious practices,
exhorting this he observed that the task was, however, difficult.
Keeping in view the urgency of the problem, Shri Kothari pointed
out the resolve, taken at the Kalyan Ashram meeting. held in
September 1996, of setting a target for covering all the States
with the work of Kalyan Ashram by doubling the number of villages
contacted from 18,800 to 40,000, covering 267 districts as against
the existing 172, increasing the number of gram samitis to 10,000
from the present 4,000, full-time workers to 2000 from 1055 at
present and development projects to 10,000 from the present 7,530
during the period of October 1996 to September 1998. It is also
proposed to set up a research centre at Jashpurnagar at a cost of
rupees one crore within the memorial building, proposed to
construct there. The collection target for Delhi is one crore,
said Shri Kothari.
Dr Harsh Vardhan, Health Minister in the Government of Delhi said
that the Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram was one of the most inspiring
outfits of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh therefore, Delhi would
not let it down. It will find enough resources for the laudable
purpose of perpetuating the memory of the Vanyogi who had built
this organisation through selfless toil over the years, he urged.
Shri Jai Prakash Agrawal, proprietor Surya Roshni, Ltd, and Shri
Satya Narain Bansal, Prant Sanghchalak of Delhi also expressed
similar feelings
Names of office-bears of the Delhi Abhiyan Samiti were also
announced at the meeting. S/Shri J.P. Agrawal , Chairman; Vishnu
Pradip Chopra, Vice-Chairman; Jai Bhagwan Sharma, Member; Rakesh
Rikhi, Secretary; Naval Kishore, Associate Secretary; Rajeshwar
Gupta, Treasurer and K.K. Sharma, Associate Treasurer. Shri Surya
Narayan Saxena, Working President of the adhoc committee, proposed
a vote of thanks.
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