Time To Quiz! Bharat Vikas Parishad organizes First ‘Bharat Ko Jano’ Quiz in City
The Vision of BVP is Development and growth of Bharat, in all fields of human endeavour – cultural, social, academic, moral, national and spiritual culminating in Swasth-Samarth-Sanskarit Bharat i.e. physically, economically and morally strong India; and the Mission To organize the elite, intellectuals and the well-to-do citizens and to motivate them to serve our poor, disabled, illiterate and ignorant brethren not as an act of charity but in the true spirit of our cultural tradition of service as duty.
Mangaluru : Ask a senior citizen or a middle-aged man as to Who is the Father of our Nation? or When did India get Independence?- there are very good chances of getting the right answers from them-but ask a young school going boy or a teenager from PUC, the same two questions, they will be probably scratching their heads and very much struggling to give the right answers. Therefore on 56th Foundation Day of Bharat Vikas Parishad (21 July, 2019), Parishad launched “Bharat Ko Jano” Quiz Competition for the students of colleges and technical / professional institutes in India or abroad.
The Competition aims to increase awareness among the students about the distinctive features of our country. It attempts to acquaint them with rich cultural heritage of India and inculcate among them the true and glorious picture of our motherland. The Competition will consist of 50-100 multiple choice questions to be answered within 40-45 minutes only. The Competition carries prizes for the first: Rs 25,000, second: Rs. Rs 20,000, third: Rs 15,000, fourth: Rs 10,000, and fifth: Rs 5,000. In addition, there will be 12 Special Prizes of Rs 2,000 each and certificate of appreciation to top 100 participants.
And locally here in Mangaluru. Bharat Vikas Parishad (Mangala Shakha)- A Missionary Organization organized the “Bharat Ko Jano” quiz contest for High School and Junior College students for the FIRST time under the leadership of Dr Sachidanand Rai-the President of Mangaluru BVP at the Canara School Auditorium, Urwa-Mangaluru at 9.15 am. The dignitaries for the inaugural function of this Quiz were-Vedavyas Kamath-MLA Mangalore South; PS Prakash- CEO of Hosadigantha & Prant Saha Karyavah RSS; and Thippeswamy-BVP State President.
Established in 1963, Bharat Vikas Parishad is a Service-cum-Sanskar oriented, non-political, socio-cultural voluntary organization. It is dedicated to the development and growth of our country in all fields of human endeavour – cultural, social, academic, moral, national and spiritual – by promoting a sense of patriotism, national unity and integrity. On the birth centenary of Swami Vivekanand i.e. on 12th January, 1963, the Citizens Council set up by leading industrialists and social reformers like late Lala Hans Raj and Dr. Suraj Prakash, initially to mobilize citizens efforts to fight the Chinese attack, was renamed as ‘Bharat Vikas Parishad’. It is thus motivated and guided by the ideals and teachings of Swami Vivekanand.
The inaugural programme of the Quiz began with a prayer by Miss Sumedha Kini of Sharada PUC, followed by welcome address by the energetic and dynamic president of Mangala Shakha of BVP Dr Sachidanand Rai, where he said, “We are Unique” at BVP. While the aim of most NGOs is socialization where public service is merely a cosmetic affair which has no deep impact on society. However, fellowship in BVP is only a means to an end and not the end. Activities of Bharat Vikas Parishad are comprehensive and aim at multifaceted development of the society combining equally both Sanskar and Seva aspects with capacity building of those served”.
“The members of the Parishad meet their own expenses while participating in its activities and also contribute towards administrative expenses of the organization. Funds collected for projects and programmes are kept separately and are spent 100 per cent exclusively for the designated purposes. Parishad lays emphasis on developing the competence of the beneficiaries through their involvement so that they are no longer dependent on charity and lead a dignified and honourable life” added Dr Rai.
After showering flower petals at the portraits of ‘Bharat Matha’ and Swami Vivekanand, the programme was inaugurated by lighting of the traditional lamp by dignitaries on the dais, namely- Vedavyas Kamath-MLA Mangaluru South; PS Prakash- CEO of Hosadigantha & Prant Saha Karyavah RSS; and Thippeswamy-BVP State President.; Dr Sachidanand Rai (President); Nithin Shetty A (secretary) and Madhava M S (Treasurer) -all of BVP-Mangala Shakha, also joined by a few quiz participants. In his inaugural address, MLA Kamath said, “This is indeed a unique idea to organize a quiz to bring awareness about our Motherland, because the present generation lacks very much behind in knowing the history of India. BVP is no doubt a unique organization for the enlightened elite of the society in service of the Motherland. By organizing a quiz like “Bharat Ko Jano” it will aim in creation of awareness about India among the students from school and colleges “.
Addressing the gathering Thippeswamy, the State BVP president said, “BVP has approximately 1345 branches in India with over 61000 family members. For operating our projects the country is divided into 7 regions and 70 pranths. The action plan of Parishad’s policies and programme is executed through the five Sutras (maxims) namely Sampark (Fellowship), Sahyog (Cooperation), Sanskar (Moral Orientation), Seva (service) and Samarpan (Commitment). To achieve its objectives of these five Sutras, BVP has taken up number of projects and programmes, and ‘Bharat Jo Jano’ quiz is one of them”.
“Regarding the action plan for implementation of Parishad’s policies and programmes which is executed through the following sutras (maxims): Sampark (Fellowship)- Identify and establish personal contacts with such persons who will enroll themselves as members to accept responsibility and render effective assistance in Parishad’s activities; Sahyog (Cooperation)-Enlist active co-operation and support of influential persons and give them responsibility; Sanskar (Moral Orientation)- Educate and orient members and well-wishers by inculcating in them a positive awareness of the noblest aspects and the spiritual values of our heritage; Seva (Service)- The logical culmination of efforts put in during the foregoing stages is service – selfless and dedicated service – not as an act of charity, condescension or favour conferred on the recipient, but in the true spirit of our cultural tradition treating service as worship; and Samarpan (Commitment)-All these maxims are indispensable for proper grooming of our citizens and their family members towards the service of our motherland” added Thippeswamy.
Students from 15 High Schools and 20 Junior Colleges (PUC) participated in the Bharat Ko Jano quiz- and it was a written quiz of 50 queries to be answered within 45 minutes. This contest is held in four phases- Branch Level (Local); State Level; Regional Level; and National Level. Only questions pertaining to India are asked. Today the contest was held in two categories-Junior (6, 7, 8 std students), and Senior ( 9, 10, 11, 12/PUC students). The prelims of local branch level contest will be written format and finals will be in oral format. The teams which meet the selection criteria at this stage will become eligible to move to the next stage. (state, regional and national level) Attractive prizes will be given to the winners of the quiz in the different phases of the contest.
The vote of thanks was proposed by Nithin Shetty, and the programme was compered by Ms Bharati Prabhu and Ms Pavithra M Rao, bot faculties at Sharada PUC-Mangaluru. A bevy of student volunteers from SDM Law College, Mangaluru was arranged by Advocate Ms Shubha Baliga, also a executive member of Mangala BVP. The quiz was conducted by TV Anchor Sunil Kulakarni and RJ Nayna from RedFM. In the first phase of the Quiz contest, Sharada High School-Mangaluru won in the Junior Category, while Vivekananda High School won in the Senior category- both these teams are now qualified for the State Level Quiz Contest.
