Dear Friends,

Namaskaram!

Vivekananda Kendra - Nardep has developed the following herbal products which will help in improving immunity.

1. Sanjeevi Choornam
2. Surabhi for Body Pain
3. Nilavembu Kashayam
4. Shakti Choornam

For details click here for Tamil and English leaflets.

With best wishes,

(V.Ramakrishnan)
Director
Vivekananda Kendra - NARDEP,
Kanyakumari - 629 702,
Tamilnadu.

Ph: 04652 246296 (office)
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Web: www.vknardep.org & www.greenrameswaram.org

A special package for Environmental researchers by www.p3r.in (Planning, proposing and presenting research)

Formal environmental research may involve long field hours, arduous travel, tenacity and patience. In addition the good research done has to be published in reputed journals, which requires mastering the art of research writing.

Our pioneering portal www.p3r.in enables researchers to master research writing at their own pace, place, time and device.

P3r.in is deeply committed to the environmental movement. We have devised a special package of discounted pricing and extended validities for worldwide nature and environment related researchers and institutions.

Researchers working in the either of the fields of  Wild life, Biodiversity, Natural resources, sustainability, Environmental Economics and climate change are eligible for this package. You can avail www.p3r .in even when you are away on field if you are connected

Read the details on -

Consolidated information about www.p3r.in: http://p3r.in/register-landing-page

About the package on: http://p3r.in/index.php/special-package-Environmental-researchers

Dear friend,

We are happy to announce the launch of 'Green Pilgrimage to Rameshwaram' project which aims to create a clean green Rameshwaram offering a holistic pilgrimage experience and make them participatory eco-pilgrims. This is the logical extension of the teertham renovation project we are taking up from last year onward to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda. Please find attached the invitation as pdf file.

With best wishes

G.Vasudeo

[Secretary]

Dear friend,

This month is the month when Swami Vivekananda proclaimed his message of universal brotherhood at the World Parliament of Religions at Chicago. Underlying this message of universal human brotherhood is the larger message of solidarity with all existence - not just humans. This month we present an excerpt from Swami Vivekananda's lecture at Jaffna. Here Swamiji says among other things:

In India it has been preached, "Love all beings as yourselves"; we make no distinction between men and animals. But no reason was forthcoming. No one knew why it would be good to love other beings as ourselves. And the reason, why, is there in the idea of the Impersonal God; you understand it when you learn that the whole world is one — the oneness of the universe — the solidarity of all life." You can read a larger inspiring excerpt in our newsletter.

The Rameshwaram Teertham project is progressing and we are envisioning now a concept of participatory eco-pilgrimage where the pilgrims are asked to take a green environmental oath at the Hanuman Kunda Teertham. At Mangala Teertham and Runa Vimochana Teertham the water has started sparkling and aquatic flora and fauna have started increasing. In this newsletter you will also meet the team that is toiling to make the pilgrimages of generations of Indians a spiritual and eco-friendly experience. In the other happenings this month we have various programmes including

• the sustainable agriculture workshops,
• the workshops on bio-methanation plants
• workshops on ethnic-medical system and also
• biogas plant installations

You can read about all that in our newsletter along with excerpts from our publication 'Akshaya Vikas' along with eco-toons on spiritual basis of sustainable development with instances of how age old wisdom can help guide modern society towards sustainable development. In our wisdom section we have excerpts on cultural ecology by Kapila Vatsyayan, natural education by Sri Aurobindo  and eco-friendly economy by JC Kumarappa.

You can download the entire newsletter here

This month newsletter brings an excerpt from a famous lecture of Swami Vivekananda. Here Swami Vivekananda speaks about how mind and nature form a continuum. This is part of a series of excerpts from the various works of Swami Vivekananda which VK-nardep has been publishing - the common theme in all of these excerpts published through all the newsletters in his 150th birth anniversary is the Vedantic basis to the ecological thought and action, like the oneness of all life, Vedantic basis of treating all existence as one's own self and inseparable connectivity to nature. Here Swami Vivekananda points out that one cannot differentiate oneself from nature thinking we have the mind and that it is different from the rest of nature. In his words: "Mind is changed into matter, matter is changed into mind. Thought force becomes nerve force, muscular force; muscular and nerve force become thought force. Nature is all this force, whether expressed as matter or mind." All difference we see in nature between ourselves and the so-called lower animal life is only that of degree. Swami Vivekananda in his own characteristic forceful way puts it : "I and the lowest pig differ only in degree. It is less manifested, I am more. Sometimes I am worse, the pig is better." A really powerful message to venerate all life - even the forms which we usually are conditioned to despise.

Our work in the renovation of the sacred water bodies in the holy island of Rameshwaram is progressing wonderfully. Now we have started the renovation work of the third teertham - Sahadeva Teertham. Here too the stagnant water has been removed, an internal well has been made visible, and as clear water pours in the surrounding enclosures are getting a new face-lift. Surely this is fitting tribute to the living presence of Swami Vivekananda and a work of gratitude for the people of Rameshwaram - who gave Swami Vivekananda an arousing welcome on his return from his triumphant visit to the West.

With summer comes the camps. We conducted camps for the children and also elders. It was a great learning experience for the adults as well as children. They imbibed training to enhance their scientific thinking, their living in tune with nature and improving inter-personnel relations. There has been other happenings also. In our publication section we present an excerpt on the ideal village eco-system which has evolved in our country and how it stands endangered today. And our wisdom section has an educationist speaking about Mother Universe. What does an empty cococut shell have to teach you? A lot of eco-awareness! That is an episode from the life of Mata Amritanandamayi where she imparts green discipline as part of spiritual living. There is a prayer to the future beings whose future our actions will make or mar.

On the whole we wish a very happy and useful reading  experience to YOU dear friend... you can download the newsletter here.