‘Protect ecology,’ ‘Sustain environment,’ ‘Protect wildlife’- they do seem like contemporary slogans, don’t they? But in fact, they are values that are woven into the fabric of Hindu culture. Trees, water bodies, animals, birds - were all treated reverentially by our ancestors, and when that was the case, where was the need for catchy slogans? But we must educate the younger generation about their inheritance, and also rededicate ourselves to these causes. And the ‘Hindu Spiritual and Service Fair’ seeks to do just that, and has ecology, forest conservation, etc. as its themes. The Fair has been an annual event in Chennai, and is now into its seventh year.
As part of the event, a walkathon, in which 10, 000 school children will participate, is being organised on January 30, and will be flagged off by Justices R. Mahadevan and S. Vaidyanathan, Judges of the Madras High Court. The children, dressed like Vivekananda, will walk along the Marina up to Vivekanandar Illam, where they will be administered a pledge on human values.
As in the past, this year’s fair will also have many stalls that highlight the charitable causes that Hindu mutts and ashrams are involved in.
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But what is the need for such a fair? According to the organisers, it is to throw the spotlight on the good work that these religious organisations do. A service-oriented organisation need not have the feeling that it is ploughing a lonely furrow, because the number of organisations engaged in such work is overwhelming, and the wide range of their services is impressive. Here are some statistics: a total of 35,000 hospitals; more than a lakh of educational institutions; 645 homes for orphans, the elderly and differently-abled ; over two lakh self-help groups and 5,366 yoga centres - are run by the Hindu spiritual organisations that participated in the Fair in 2014. In addition, they also run cow protection shelters, and maintain 11, 883 temples. Most of the participants, who took part last year will be back again this time. And with the new entrants and a larger venue, the Fair just got bigger this year!
This year too, there are contests for students, and the prizes are being sponsored by SASTRA University. The topics for the quizzes are ecology, environment, etc. “School event prizes to the tune of Rs. 15 lakh are sponsored by SASTRA University, Thanjavur. We are giving them books, because we want to encourage the reading habit. Library grants to schools are also being provided by SASTRA ,” says Dr. S. Vaidhyasubramaniam, Adjunct Professor, School of Law, SASTRA University.
As for the competitive games, the focus is on traditional ones such as aadupuli aattam, kabaddi, silambam and traditional board games such as padaivettu.
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Why is the Fair being held only in Chennai? “We would be glad if someone comes forward to organise it in other places too. We are prepared to mentor them,” says Vaidhyasubramaniam. He expects at least 12 lakh footfalls this year.
“There will be seminars on the themes of the Fair for college students, and many city colleges have expressed a desire to participate,” says chartered accountant S.Gurumurthy.
The Fair will be on fromFebruary 3till 9. Timings: 9.30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Venue: AM Jain College Grounds, Meenambakkam, Chennai.