National
Agra comes live on Basant Panchami
Agra, Jan 22 (IANS) Agra, home to the Taj Mahal, came alive on Monday on the occasion of Basant Panchami, with admirers flocking to the modest tomb of Urdu poet Mian Nazir Akbarabadi whose birthday falls on this day.
The morning bright sunshine and a slight cool breeze gladdened the hearts of thousands of tourists at the 17th century Taj.
A few hundred metres away, poetry lovers gathered at the tomb of Mian Nazir Akbarabadi to pay homage to a man who wove songs of love and the common man’s life.
Called the people’s poet, he wrote about ordinary things that touched the hearts of both Muslims and Hindus. He viewed at the follies of royalty with disdain but sang lyrically about Lord Krishna and poked fun at fundamentalists.
Some ten kilometres from the Taj Mahal, in the Dayal Bagh area, the Basant Panchami attracted many hundreds of the Radha Soami faith.
The entire area from the Soami Bagh to Adan Bagh turned yellow with decorations of the most exquisite kind by the Radhasoami followers whose faith was founded on this day more than a century ago.
The mausoleum of Huzur Maharaj Shiv Dayal Singh, the acknowledged founder of the Radha Soami faith in the mid-19th century, is nearing completion, having taken more than a century.
“The entire stretch around the mausoleum and the colony looks out of this world with so many flowers and ‘rangolis’,” said a devotee who came with his family from Andhra Pradesh.
Basant Panchmi in Braj Mandal has a special significance as the 50 day festivities climax in Holi.
Temples in Mathura and Vrindavan have been specially decorated.
“We have specially prepared sweets and saffron milk for our deities. Yellow rice packed with dry fruits and badam milk plus all kinds of burfies are offered to Sri Krishna,” Jagan Nath Poddar of Friends of Vrindavan told IANS.
–IANS
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National
Foodman Vishal Singh Honored for Hunger Free World Mission in Bangkok
Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.