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Tennis Tempo Short

Tempo $11.98 Salvatore are an enigmatic Norwegian ensemble who, since 1998, have created a sinewy, pulsating, jazzy brand of arty instrumental rock derived from early Tortoise records and the electro-acoustic Motorik of Teutonic brethren Kreidler and To Rococo Rot. On their 2002 release, Tempo, they keep an air of mystery by not listing the instruments played by each bandmember nor including any obvious photos of them, being content with a few grayed-out black-and-white landscapes and interiors. This helps add to an aura of mutability to the package, leaving the music to speak for itself and take on whatever shape the listener envisions. Not surprising the originators of the Chicago school of post-rock are emulated here, since this session was recorded and mixed by Tortoise's John McEntire in his Soma Studios in Chicago, and the band even did a brief European tour with Tortoise. But Salvatore, despite wearing their influences on their sleeve, manage to forge their own identity with this collection of evocative soundscapes. The tracks here are relatively short for a genre that tends toward excess, which leaves them concise and to-the-point, almost disappointingly so, because they set up some exceedingly tight and memorable grooves which could enthrall a listener even if they went on forever. And though they sound like they may have evolved from loose improvisatory jam sessions, the evolved pieces are executed with precision and passion, as opposed to the cold, contrived playing of some of their contemporaries. The opener "Easy" immediately bursts from the speakers with a hypnotic keyboard swirl, pulsing bass, propulsive hi hats and panning backwards-looped guitars and feedback, neatly getting its formula across in under four minutes. "Not Chello!" is another succinct nugget of rhythmic invention, bouncing along with rollicking keyboard, undulating percussion and rimshot snare until the bass lays down the theme, again in just around four minutes. "Rainbo" speeds down the Autobahn with delayed guitars and driving vibes and drums reaching their destination in barely over three minutes. There are a couple more lengthy explorations on the album (at nine+minutes, "Rockefeller 3" spends the majority of its duration floating by on surf guitar and muffled percussion before slowly rising out of the murk to rocking the front and center of the mix), but even these feel compact in their composition, and when the album ends after a mere 42 minutes one wishes there were more. Luckily, for the devoted obscure record-seeker, Salvatore have four more albums to satisfy that craving. ~ Brian Way, Rovi

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Nike Women's Tempo Track Short $27.95 Pick up the tempo and lead the pack in the Nike Tempo Track Short for Women. Great lines give this running short a modern sense of style and with inset mesh for ventilation and great range of motion, it still delivers the performance you expect.

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Tempo for Two $12.78 The Horton Brothers are Bobby and Billy Horton along with guitarist Dave Leroy Biller, pianist Jarrod T. Bonta, and percussionist Buck Johnson. Tempo for Two borrows its rockabilly sound from an earlier era, although almost half of the album's songs are originals. The band also seems to throw in just a touch of Buddy Holly's softer side on Sonny Curtis/Jerry Allison's "More Than I Could Say." The best stuff includes the steady-rocking "I Had One Too Many," which features some nifty guitar work, and Johnny Horton's "Shadows of the Old Bayou." The Hortons, who also produced the album, add slap-back echo to the latter cut, and the arrangement includes some nice steel guitar work. While all of the material on Tempo for Two is competent, one wishes that the brothers would've extended the production and arrangement style of "Shadow of the Old Bayou" to the other material. Tempo for Two, at 31 minutes, is short, though one could argue that once upon a time, during the rockabilly era, 11 songs would've been plenty. For those who believe that popular music was never the same after the rockabilly era, the Horton Brothers' Tempo for Two is a blast from the past. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr., Rovi Performers: Billy Horton - Bass (Upright), Vocals, Saxophone; Buck Johnson - Drums, Percussion

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Nike Short Printed Tempo bleu FA11 $24.47 Short Nike Tempo: performances et belle allure.Ce n'est pas étonnant que le short de course à pied Nike Tempo pour Femme soit devenu un tel classique. Grâce à sa tenue confortable, son aération et son style de short de course à pied classique, il offre tout ce dont une athlète a besoin pour se...

Nike Collant Printed Tempo Short blanc/violet $13.98 Le short Nike Tempo: léger et régulateur de l´humidité. Le short de running Nike Printed Tempo 8,9 cm pour femmes offre une liberté de mouvement maximale, avec lui vous pourrez atteindre vos objectifs. Confort et aération optimale sont les atouts principaux de ce short parfait en toute situation. La...

Nike Collant Printed Tempo Short rose $13.98 Le short Nike Tempo: léger et régulateur de l´humidité. Le short de running Nike Printed Tempo 8,9 cm pour femmes offre une liberté de mouvement maximale, avec lui vous pourrez atteindre vos objectifs. Confort et aération optimale sont les atouts principaux de ce short parfait en toute situation. La...

Bitzaro Grande Hotel, Kalamaki in Zakynthos

The Greek Island of Zakynthos (Zante) has become a popular holiday destination, famed for its string of beautiful beaches in the south of the island and a perfectly placed airport, putting most of these beaches within just a short drive. The quiet and sophisticated resort of Kalamaki, only 30 minutes from the airport, stands in pine-studded hills with a sandy beach to welcome you. Despite its growing popularity Kalamaki has kept its authentic Greek feel with a relaxed pace of life making it a lovely family resort.

Your four star Bitzaro Grande Hotel Kalamki Zante is a prime location on the outskirts of Kalamaki and with local shops 250m away at the top of the hill, you’ve got the best of both worlds. The rooms are stylish, spacious and air conditioned, but once you’ve unpacked you’ll be back outside in the sun, relaxing in your sun lounger by the pool or sipping long cool drinks from the bar. By the pool you’ll find a games area to keep children entertained, along with tennis courts, volleyball, table tennis and unlimited ice cream when you go all-inclusive!

As night falls, enjoy Bitzaro Grande Hotel’s live shows and competitions, relax in the lobby bar watching satellite TV or take the 500m walk back up the hill to Kalamaki’s bars and fine restaurants. If you’re looking for a quiet night out, Kalamaki will show you a good time. But to up the tempo, Laganas, the island’s most popular resort is only 3km away and is very lively in the summer months with clubs and bars to dance in until the sun rises.

Part of the beach between Kalamaki and Laganas is now reserved for the loggerhead turtle, which has until recently been threatened by tourism. However it is possible to scuba dive close to these beautiful creatures from the beach at Vasilikos, although you cannot get too close as they do scare easily.

From Port Vromi, you can board a small boat to iconic Shipwreck Bay on the north of this small island. Sail into this incredible cove surrounded by steep cliffs which seem to radiate the blue of the sea and head for the bay to the washed up remains of a smuggler’s ship from 1983, which seems to grow out of the sand and makes a perfect picture postcard.

A little further up the coast are the magical Blue Caves of Volimes. These can only be accessed by sea, so hire a local boat at sunrise or sunset and sail through these spectacular arches as they almost glow with the blue of the sea and sky.

Relaxing or sightseeing, Bitzaro Grande Hotel Kalamki Zante makes a great base for all the family to see the true beauty of Zakynthos.

About the Author

Mark Addison is an eminent and well known writer. We can see passion in his writing. He mostly writes articles for holiday’s and hotel’s sites.

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Virginia Divorce Spousal Support 20-107.1 Fairfax County Prince William Richmond Beach Loudoun

Stephenson v. Musgrave  (Va.Ct. App. May 18, 2010)

On July 29, 2009, the trial court entered a final decree of divorce between appellant, Robert Brian Stephenson ("husband"), and appellee, Donna Lynn Musgrave ("wife"). On appeal, husband argues that the trial court erred when it (1) designated certain assets as marital waste, (2) valued husband's office building without considering alleged adverse market conditions, (3) failed to consider husband's health and disability, (4) admitted testimony of a marriage counselor for the purpose of establishing an intent by husband to dissipate the marital assets, (5) awarded wife $ 72,000 in attorneys' fees, and (6) did not reserve husband the right to seek spousal support in the future. Wife argues that we should not consider the substance of husband's first five arguments because husband voluntarily paid the equitable distribution and attorneys' fees, thus barring his right to appeal those issues. Wife further argues that the trial court did not abuse its discretion when it failed to reserve the husband's right to seek spousal support in the future.

Voluntary payment of a judgment deprives the payor of the right of appeal. Here, husband's payment tends even more towards a voluntary payment than the payment made in Citizens Bank and Trust Co. v. Crewe Factory Sales Corp., 254 Va. 355, 355, 492 S.E.2d 826, 826 (1997). While the payor in Citizens Bank paid the full amount of the judgment three days after it was entered, here husband paid the full equitable distribution award and attorneys' fees before the trial court even entered a judgment against him. In fact, husband wrote two checks for the precise amount of each award, with one check paid to his wife and the other paid to her attorney. Husband simply did not bear the risk associated with an involuntary choice. Instead, husband merely avoided the interest that would accrue upon entry of a judgment. The trial court never threatened husband with contempt if he failed to pay the award. In fact, the trial court specifically rejected the notion that it would entertain a contempt citation if the awards were not paid within the prescribed time. Therefore, we hold that husband voluntarily paid the equitable distribution and attorneys' fees awarded to wife, and hence we cannot reach the merits of husband's arguments with respect to those awards.

Where there is no bar to the right of spousal support, it is reversible error for the trial court, upon request of either party, to fail to make a reservation in the decree of the right to receive spousal support in the event of a change of circumstances." The trial court relied on husband's present financial situation and his attempts to hide assets during the divorce proceedings when it failed to reserve husband the right to seek spousal support in the future. However, husband's present financial situation does not speak to his financial situation in the future, nor can the trial court punish husband for his attempts to hide assets during the divorce proceeding by denying him a reservation of the right to seek spousal support in the future. Neither of these circumstances bears any relationship to the grounds of divorce itself, which in this case rests solely on Virginia Divorce Code § 20-91(9). Trial court committed reversible error when it failed to reserve husband the right to seek spousal support in the future.

These summaries are provided by the SRIS Law Group.  They represent the firm's unofficial views of the Justices' opinions.  The original opinions should be consulted for their authoritative content.

About the Author

The SRIS Law Group Virginia divorce lawyers defend clients charged with divorce cases throughout Virginia.  The SRIS Law Group has offices in Fairfax, Richmond, Virginia Beach, Lynchburg, Loudoun County & Prince William County.

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Sustaining Competitive Advantage For Blacks Leisure Group

Introduction

The Blacks Leisure Group is operating in one of the most competitive industries today. The leisure industry encompasses a range of services and products such as horse racing, fitness classes, casinos, cinemas, music concerts, water sports, land sports, videogames, bird watching and others. However, these products may be classified under the following major categories; tourism, sports, recreation and hospitality. Owing to the diversity in this industry, it is very necessary for Blacks Leisure Group to familiarize itself with all the latest industry trends, competitor information and consumer preferences in order to be a market leader. The report shall examine all the issues surrounding competitive advantage in the industry. (Barney, 1997)

Importance of developing and sustaining competitive advantage for Blacks Leisure Group

Development and sustenance of competitive advantage is crucial to any business in the Leisure industry, consequently, the same applies to the company under analysis. Blacks Leisure group ought to sustain competitive advantage because of the following: First of all, the world has become increasingly interconnected. Globalisation has presented new challenges to leisure companies within the UK and beyond. Some come from the rapidly industrialised East (Asian continent) while others hail from the well established developed nations such as the US. These companies are looking to expand their service base and are therefore tapping into the company's market.

Blacks Leisure Group should ensure that they sustain competitive advantage because if they fail to do so then online companies might drive them out of business. The advent of technology and the proliferation of the internet have further aggravated the situation. It is necessary for Blacks to ensure that they can expand their level of distribution in a cost efficient manner just like the online companies do. As if all the latter competitors are not enough to drive new changes in the industry, the company has to improve its product offering in order to battle it out with some of the larger Leisure groups. These Leisure companies have very large brand names and may have undue advantage over Blacks owing to their image and company strength. (Grant, 2005)

In the wake of the competition emanating from every single direction, Blacks should develop and sustain an advantage or competitive advantage over its players in the industry. This is because the market has evolved, gone are the days when companies would simply focus on their clients alone. Marketers and managers should not underestimate the effects that competition has because if they fail to do, then their profits will decline. The situation may aggravate and cause fluctuating sales of the respective products. Thereafter, it is likely that the company will be pushed out of business. Consequently, Black Leisure group should be vigilant about establishing a sound market positions and managing their brand selectively.

Environmental marketing dynamics and the need for strategic change in order to sustain competitive advantage

The world has slowly changed its gaol posts with regard to the definition of who real competitors are. Consequently, there are so many dynamics that come into play when trying to select which companies are Black Leisure's competitors. The company may assume that its competitors are other Leisure groups in the country. However, there are potential entrants that may not have been considered. Taking the example of what has happened in the reading industry, group leaders such as Barnes and Nobel used up a substantial amount of their resources establishing large chains. However, the company underestimated the effect of technology because during the late nineties, another industry player came up with a way of accessing numerous books without spending too much on inventory. This company was called Amzon.com. The same situation applies to the Leisure industry. Many leisure consumers want to access services in the most convenient way possible. Online transactions have caused many consumers to leave tangible companies such as Blacks. They are now taking most of their business to the internet. Blacks should give online transactions precedence because this has become a vital part of the marketing environment today. (Baird, 1994)

In order to understand one's market dynamics, it is necessary to look at competition through a wide range of angles. Competition may be defined in relation to the following; Industry concept or Marketing concept

Industry concept

Marketers ought to analyse their respective industries o determine whether they fall under the following

• Pure Monopoly
• Oligopoly
• Monopolistic competition
• Pure competition

Purely monopolistic industries are those that have only one company offering the service or product, Oligopolistic industries are those ones that have largely sized companies that offer the same commodities. On the other hand, monopolistic competition refers to those industries where there are a variety of products or services and competition is sustained through offering the products in a superior manner. Pure competition exists in industries where the competitors offer the same product or service. Consequently, competition is based on advertisement and marketing.  (Dyer and Ernest, 1991)

Taking the example of Blacks Leisure Group, its industry falls under the monopolistic competition. In this case, there is market segmentation. Consequently, the company offers only a specific range of services to the consumer in a superior manner. The dynamics that affect such an industry (monopolistic competition) are quite diverse. The first issue that one should consider is entry vs. exit barriers within the industry. The Leisure industry has very minimal entry barriers owing to the fact that it has low capital requirements and patents are not that important too. On top of that, exit barriers are rather high because it likely that the assets will be obsolete by the time one is leaving the exit industries. These dynamics need to be incorporated by Blacks in order to stay ahead.

The next environmental issue that should be considered by Blacks is the level of vertical integration. In the Leisure industry, there are numerous cases of vertical integration. Some companies opt to integrate their leisure equipment such as sports gear, they rent those facilities to their clients and also coordinate their accommodation among others. This trend has become very common but Blacks should avoid this approach because certain parts of the value chain are inflexible. Consequently, it is better for the company to outsource some of its pressing activities. This allows the company to focus on the services that it does best while saving a substantial portion of its budget on the specialty service.

Lastly, different industries have different levels of globalisation. The leisure industry is one of the most heavily hit. This has caused a large number of these companies to compete on a global platform. Their services, marketing approaches and other company ideas have been tailored to embrace the issue of globalisation. Blacks Leisure group is not an exception, the company depends on numerous foreigners for business. Consequently, its marketing approach is tailored towards the international market. The company needs to break into other market segments owing to the fact that numerous leisure companies do the same. It would be necessary to check on some other consumers that may be interested in their services. (Aaker, 1984)

Market concept

Marketers consider competition in a different light. However, they define competitors as any company or entity that meet the same consumer need. Consequently, even if the services under consideration may not seem related, they may qualify as competitors. These competitors can be divided d into various categories depending on how closely relate their commodities are.

Taking the example of Blacks Leisure Group, the company cannot ascertain that its only competitors are the ones that offer similar leisure service. While these companies may actually fall in eth same category as Blacks, one cannot under look the diversity of the Leisure industry. Some of the closely related companies include hotels, camping guides and tour operators. However, other leisure products still meet the same consumer need and these include, television show companies, movie companies, video games, music or radio companies, fitness centres, night clubs, casinos, tennis operators and many others. Consequently, it is very advisable for company to shift from defining competitors in a conventional way as the marketing environment has changed. Those companies that seem to come from a totally different industry may end up being the most influential in that respective industry . It is therefore necessary to ensure that one frequently monitors these different competitors because they could take first place.

After identifying all the competitors that fall in the same category, then it is necessary to asses the strategies, objectives and strengths needed to sustain competitive advantage within ones' domain. (Barney, 1991)

When analysing competition, it is necessary to determine which companies are following the same strategic path as Black Leisure group. The company could look at any of the following items; whether the competitor under consideration has a wide or narrow line compared to Blacks. A larger line always possesses greater competition than a narrower line. On top of that, the company could analyse the manufacturing costs of its competitor, if they have the same costs, then the company ought to watch out for it. This should then be followed by an analysis of service offering. If the company offers a high quality then it is definitely a force worth reckoning. This should be followed by a consideration of the kind of price on offer. Those companies that have the same features as the company under consideration in terms of the latter four factors will fall under the same strategic group.

After doing an analysis of the strategies used by its' competitors then the company should look out for the objectives of their competitors. Some companies are driven by the need for growing their market share, others place more precedence on increasing their profitability, alternatively, other companies need to be service leaders while others need to develop their technologies. Blacks then needs to look at their competitor's strengths, this refers to how large their share of the market is, they should also look at the level of support which the company has garnered in terms of support for their products. By examining all the latter issues, Blacks can identify some loopholes among its competitors and establish itself in the market. (Benter and Booms, 1981)

How Porters five forces and Value Chain analysis can assist in understanding the marketing environment and competitive advantage

Porters five forces

The porter's five forces are as follows

Threat of rivalry

Blacks needs to worry about this generic force because the leisure industry is highly competitive. Entry barriers are not very high. Additionally, investors have high stakes if they leave. As if this is not enough, capital costs are also strenuous. The overall effect is frequent advertisement battles, product introductions and frequent price battles. In order to stay ahead of it competitors, Blacks needs to become very aggressive. There is very fierce rivalry in this industry and only the most vigilant company garner enough support.

Threats of new entrants

In the leisure industry, it is relatively easy to enter into the industry. The reasons for this is that capital cost requirements are not as high as they are in other industries like aviation. Additionally, patent requirements in the leisure industry are not that high too. This means that Blacks has to be ready for intense competition. The company ought to look for a unique selling point in order to sustain competitive advantage. (Porter, 1985)

Threats of buyers

Owing to the fact that the Leisure industry is highly differentiated, then the company has potential to do well because they can offer their services in a superior manner to their clients. However, it is relatively easy to switch from one leisure company to another, this gives the buyers a higher advantage, Blacks Leisure Group should tackle this moderate buyer strength by offering superior quality products that the consumers cannot reject.

Threats of suppliers

The company operates in an industry segment that has many substitutes for the products consequently, suppliers do into have a lot of bargaining power. One of the actions that the company can make to cope with the threats of suppliers is by teaming up with other leisure groups to be more influential in their respective market.

Threats of substitutes

There are numerous substitutes in the leisure industry. Therefore, Blacks should invest in research to forecast some of this future threats.

Value chain analysis

Inbound logistics; this involves, transportation, material handling material storage, communication, testing and information systems that are related to the supplier. Outbound logistics refer to all the latter that are related to the consumer. Black Leisure Group needs to consider how it can outsource its information systems which can be improve performance here. Marketing and sales technologies; refer to all media, audio and communications involved in selling the product. The company should  consider incorporating technological system in service operations. Operations technologies; refer to the process and materials involved in the service offering of the company. Blacks Leisure Group should consider merging some of their business units to sustaining competitive advantage (Thompson & Strickland III, 1992)

Conclusion

The Black Leisure Group operates in a highly competitive market. Consequently, the company's environmental dynamics cannot be ignored. Some of the things that the company can do to sustain competitive advantage include offering superior services, outsourcing their inbound and outbound logistic, integrating business units, teaming up with leisure groups to strengthen their buyer power from suppliers, intensifying technological advancements and encompassing the global market more aggressively. All these steps will go a long way in enhancing their position in the market. (Amit, 2007)

Reference:

Thompson, A. & Strickland III, A. (1992): Strategy formulation and complementation: Tasks of the General Manager; Blackwell Publishers

Benter, J. and Booms, B. (1981): business development strategies and organizational structures for service firms, in Donnelly, J. and George, W. Marketing, American Marketing Association, Chicago.

Barney, J.  B. (1991): Firm Resources and Sustained Competitive Advantage, Journal of Management, 1 (January)

Aaker, David A. (1984): Strategic Marketing Management. New York: John Wiley.

Barney, J. B. (1997): Gaining and Sustaining Competitive Advantage. Reading, MA: Addison- Wesley.

Grant, R.M. (2005): Contemporary Strategy Analysis; Blackwell Publishing Ltd., Oxford (U.K.)

Dyer, R.  F. and Ernest H. F (1991): An Analytical Approach to Marketing Decisions.

New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

Porter, M.E. (1985): Competitive Advantage: The Free Press, New York, 1985.

Baird, L. (1994): Meeting global challenges: The executive perspective; University of Boston

Professor Raphael Amit (2007): Strategic Management , a journal for Faculty of Commerce and Business Administration, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., Canada

About the Author

Author is associated with ResearchPapers247.Com which is a global Research Papers and Term Papers Writing Company. If you would like help in Research Papers and Term Paper Help you can visit Custom Essays> and Custom Research Papers> or Term Paper Help>

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Sangh parivaar

SANGH PARIVAR

THE Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, popularly known as the RSS, translates into National Volunteers' Union, in English. Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, a doctor based in the city of Nagpur in Maharashtra, felt the need to protect and organize Hindus, after witnessing Hindu-Muslim riots in his city. As a result, RSS was created in the year 1925. Sangh believes in the philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam or Universe is one Family.

Despite its self- proclaimed philosophy of preserving India's cultural, moral and spiritual traditions, the RSS is viewed more as a Hindu organization, both in India and abroad, than simply a cultural organization. Its claim of being only a socio-cultural organization, without any interest in politics, finds few takers.  The organization enjoys a support base of more than 4.5 million members and functions across the lengths and breadths of the country. The RSS is an umbrella organization containing over 100 other organizations in its fold. Collectively, all these organizations along with the RSS are referred to as Sangh Parivar (Sangh family).

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's day-to-day activities are governed by Sarsanghchalak, who is head of the RSS family. There have been six Sarsanghchalaks of the RSS since its inception:

1. Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar (founder), also known as Doctorji (1925-1940)
2. Madhavrao Sadashivrao Golwalkar, also known as, Guruji (1940-1973)
3. Madhukar Dattatraya Deoras, also known as, Bala saheb (1973-1993)

4.    Prof. Rajendra Singh, also known as, Rajju bhaiya (1993-2000)

5.    Kuppahalli Sitaramayya Sudarshan (2000-2009); and

6.    Mohan Rao Bhagwath (2009-Present)

The RSS functions through its 50,000 plus Shakhas, Sanskrit for branches, which are the basic unit and activity of RSS. These shakhas operate every morning, evening or night in parks or public places. People attending shakhas indulge in activities such as yoga, exercise, and discussions on varying social, religious or political issues facing the country. Although, the shakhas are open for persons belonging to any religion, caste, or economic class, almost all of its members or volunteers (swayamsevaks) remain Hindus.

The RSS also has a dress code for its members, white shirt, khaki half-pant and a black cap. A shakha starts and ends with the recitation of prayer "Namaste Sadaa Vatsale Matrubhoome" (My salutation to you, ever loving motherland). The volunteers pay tribute to the saffron flag, which is symbolic for Hindu rashtra (Hindu nation). The entire RSS structure is built on these shakhas as they are responsible for the induction of new volunteers into the RSS fold besides maintaining and handling current members. The shakhas also spread the RSS ideology to the masses as they are in direct touch with them. The organization believes in the silent propaganda of its policies, without creating hype or too much noise, either through the media or otherwise.

Constituents of Sangh Parivar

Sangh parivar consists of more than 100 affiliate outfits with the RSS being the parent body. These organisations are directly controlled and governed by the RSS, with Sarsanghchalak being the head of the family. Some of the important members of the sangh parivar include Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh (Indian Labour Union) with a membership of 10 million, Bhartiya Kisan Sangh (Indian Farmers Union) with 1 million volunteers, Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (All India Students Council) with 2 million members, Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram (working for the development of tribals), Muslim Rashtriya Manch (National Muslim Forum),  Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP; World Hindu Council), Bajrang Dal (named after Lord Hanuman), Durga Vahini (Army of Durga; women's wing of the VHP). The main opposition party of India, Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) is the political wing of the RSS, although both the party and RSS deny this, most of the office bearers in the party are from the RSS. The party's newly appointed president, Nitin Gadkari, is also an RSS activist.

Vishva Hindu Parishad, also known as VHP, was founded in the year 1964, with the objective of organising and consolidating the Hindu society and to serve the Hindu religion. (Source: http://vhp.org). VHP, with branches spread all over the world, is known for aggressively voicing its opinion over the issues concerning Hindu society. VHP's international general secretary, Dr. Pravin Togadia, is termed as fundamentalist by many in the country. His stance on issues including Ram temple, religious conversions, Islamic terrorism, infiltration of Bangladeshis in India, cow slaughter, has been very aggressive. In an interview to Organiser, Sangh parivar's mouthpiece, Dr. Togadia declared, "VHP is fully committed to building a magnificent Shri Ram temple in Ayodhya and the Hindu society is ready for any sacrifice for the temple."

 

This statement is an example of his extreme views on the issue. Commenting more on the issue, he said, "Any symbol created, built or otherwise, by any foreign invader in Akhand Bharat is a national shame. It never happens in any nation that a majority is consistently humiliated, hurt and persecuted. If it so happens anywhere then it is a national shame. A structure built by Babur cracking and destroying majority Hindu's place of worship and place of utter faith can never be glorified in Bharat. Whoever tries to do so is putting Bharat at a risk of losing again to the modern day methods of foreign invasions like jehadi attack, economic exploitation, etc. Therefore, falling of so-called Babri structure is the proudest moment of Hindus in Bharat,"

His take on Islamic jihad is equally tough as he says "Taliban's ideological inspiration is in Darul Ulum Deoband situated in Saharanpur district of western Uttar Pradesh. Jamait-e-Ulema-e-Pakistan created Taliban whose maulavis are Deobandis same as Jamait-e-Ulema-e-Hind is Deobandi." It will be appropriate here to mention here that Darul Ulum Deoband is study centre for Islamic sciences, where Muslims from all over the world come to study and research the Islamic teachings.

VHP even endorses militancy to fight the terror unleashed by Islamic jihadists. In a press conference in Vijaywada, Andhra Pradesh, he stated, "Today a situation has come when no railway station or bus station is safe from the threat of attack from Islamic terrorists. The only option left before the country is to declare a full-fledged war against Islamic militants and defeat it, roundly and squarely." Although, VHP claims that it is operating 32,000 projects in the field of self-empowerment, education, health etc., it is known more for its extremist views than anything else.

VHP, in the year 1986, formed Bajrang Dal, a congregation of Hindu Youth. Bajrang Dal is considered to be the militant wing of the VHP.  Its mission, vision, and goals are same as those of VHP, except the use of weapons and force by its members. Bajrang Dal's area of activity are  renovation of religious places, cow-protection, social evils like dowry untouchability etc. and protests against insults hurled at Hindu maan-bindus, Hindu traditions, Hindu conventions and beliefs etc, protests against vulgarity and obscenity displayed on the television advertisements and through beauty contests, opposition to the illegal infiltration. The Dal's carry symbolic Trishuls (tridents) as a mark of their militant views. It has been termed as Hindu extremist group in the annual report on international religious freedom for 2000 of the United States Department of State. The Dal's activities have always been suspicious and violent.

 

In the year 1999, an Australian missionary Graham Steins was burned alive along with his two sons when they were sleeping in their van parked outside their house in Manoharpur village of Keonjhar district of Orissa. Steins was accused of converting tribals into Christians by the Sangh parivar and Bajrang Dal opposed it by killing steins and his two sons. Although, Sangh parivar stronglydenied its hand in the killings but the accused Dara Singh, sentenced to life imprisonment was a Bajrang Dal activist, is an open secret. Several Indian political leaders including Mayawati, Ram Vilas Paswan and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda along with the ruling Congress party have been demanding a ban on Bajrang Dal.

In 2008, the gravity of attacks on Christians in Orissa and Karnataka was such that the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh had to convene a special cabinet meeting discuss a possible ban on VHP and Bajrang Dal. Several Muslim leaders like Maulana Khalid Rashid have also been advocating a complete ban on Dal due to its dubious and violent activities. (Source:  http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Muslim-cleric-demands-ban-on-Bajrang-Dal/353369/)

Purpose, Goal and Ideology

The RSS was formed with the purpose of "serving the nation and its people in the form of God - Bharat Mata (Mother India) and protecting the interests of the Hindus in India". However, many believe, that it has gone much beyond its purpose of existence. Protecting Hindus' interests and revival of Hindu traditions have always been the topmost priority of the RSS. The organization strongly believes that Hindus are being marginalized in their own country due to the appeasement policies adopted by the central as well as several state governments. It holds the Congress and left parties responsible for the appeasement of minorities against Hindus.

The RSS firmly believes that Hinduism is not a religion but a way of life and every Indian, irrespective of his/her religion, should be considered a Hindu. This view of the RSS is often challenged and debated by people following other religions as well as by the government, whose primary duty is to provide secular governance to the country. Another controversial belief shared by the RSS is the concept of Akhand Bharat (undivided India). The RSS wants to reunite India by bringing countries such as Burma, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nepal under its rule. These countries were once a part of undivided India. This concept is seen as impractical by many and is hotly debated by secular forces in the country. However, all this does not seem to affect the RSS which celebrates the Akhand Bharat sankalp Diwas (undivided India day) every now and then. More recently, in an interview to a television channel, the present Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat reiterated "Pakistan and Afghanistan are a part of us and will return one day".

On the question of RSS ideology, Ram Madhav, national spokesperson of the RSS, replied "In simple terms, it means the nation is first. We see India as one nation and all the people as one people. We believe that we are a nation with a long history and a hoary culture. We expect all the people of this country to share this viewpoint. Just as we do not want society to be fragmented into caste, race and creed, we do not want society to be divided into majority and minority on the basis of religion."

The more detailed analysis of this statement would mean that the RSS is opposed to the status of minority being given to the Muslims or Christians. Speaking more on the issue, Ram Madhav said, "We are not in agreement with the way the idea of minorities is interpreted in India. If you want to call anybody a minority in this country, it is the Parsis who can be called as such. Because they came from another country and are 100 per cent outsiders. Maybe the Jews are similarly a minority.

But all the others come from the same stock and share the same history. People may have opted for different religions. If religion is to be the basis of defining a majority and minority, who is the majority in this country? After all, the Supreme Court has interpreted Hinduism as a way of life and not a religion. This stand of the RSS further alienates it from the minorities. Although, the RSS believes in the philosophy Ekam Sat Viprah Bahudha Vadanti Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (Truth is one, sages call it by many names. The whole universe is one family), it still feels that the Hindu society has been repeatedly oppressed, attacked and threatened by Muslims from Turkey and central Asia in the past.

The RSS wants to protect Hindus from further persecutions and correct the past wrong-doing in its own way. This is the root cause of Muslims' opposition of the RSS. Further, the Muslims feel uncomfortable when the RSS says that the ancestors of most of the Indian Muslims were Hindus and were converted to Islam by force, and that they should return to their Hindu fold. The RSS approach towards the Indian minorities has been aggressive and hard, making minorities look to it with suspicion.

Moreover, the RSS is of the viewpoint that every non-Hindu Indian should respect or show religious tolerance towards other religions that are practiced in the country. This can be substantiated by the statement of M.S. Golwalkar, a late RSS leader, who declared in 1940s that "The non-Hindu peoples in Hindustan must either adopt the Hindu culture and language, must learn to respect and hold in reverence the Hindu religion, must entertain no idea but those of glorification of Hindu race and culture, i.e., they must not only give up their attitude intolerance and ungratefulness towards this land and its age-old traditions but must also cultivate the positive attitude of love and devotion instead-in a word they must cease to be foreigners, or may stay in this country, wholly subordinated to the Hindu nation, claiming nothing, deserving no privilege, far less any preferential treatment-not even citizens' rights." Craig Baxter, The Jana Sangh: A Biography of an Indian Political Party (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1969), p. 31.

Here, it would be imperative to mention that the RSS and its affiliating bodies (Sangh Parivar) also vehemently advocate the imposition of a uniform civil code, abolition of Article 370, ban on cow slaughter, and building of Ram temple in Ayodhya.  All these issues are controversial and Indians hold different opinions on them. There is no unanimous perspective on these issues in the country. The union government also wants to keep these issues on the hold, so as to avoid any kind of confrontation. On uniform civil code issue, the RSS is of the view that India must have one uniform law and all religions should follow it.

There should be no Muslim code, Hindu code, or Christian code. As per the RSS, one country should have one law and not different law based on different religions. The Muslim leaders strictly oppose uniform civil code as they think that is against their religion. This is again one big cause of confrontation between Muslim community and the RSS. The Muslims think that the RSS wants to thrust its Hindu agenda on them while the RSS feels that Muslims are not being nationalistic by not agreeing to uniform civil code, which it thinks would further strengthen the country's secular fabric. It is however a different issue that many in the country doubt the secular credentials of the Sangh Parivar.

As far as the imposition of Article 370 in Jammu & Kashmir is concerned, we will have to go back into the history, to understand it. The special status to the state of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) was granted in the year 1950 under Article 370 of the constitution. However, the Article was a temporary provision and was to stay only till the constituent assembly of the state approved the Accession Instrument signed by Maharaja Hari Singh, the erstwhile ruler of Jammu & Kashmir, with the Indian Government. The RSS argues that why the Article 370 has not been abolished even after 60 years.

Under the provisions of the Article, no Indian from any other state can either purchase land or permanently settle in J&K and Indian Parliament cannot frame any law, except defence, foreign affairs and communications, without concurrence from the state assembly. The continuation of the Article 370 strongly irks the RSS, which feels that it separates J&K from rest of the country.

Another issue that is very dear to the Sangh Parivar is its demand for total ban on cow slaughter as the cow is considered to be sacred by Hindus. Although, no particular community including Muslim and Christian is opposed to this demand, the successive union governments have not yielded to the demand due to the fear of facing allegations of appeasing the majority community.

Moreover, some argue that beef is main food of people in North East states such as Nagaland, Meghalaya, and Mizoram and if the ban is imposed, the residents of these states might resort to measures that would be unpleasant to the union government. Anyhow, the RSS sticks to its demand unfazed and keeps on raising the issue from time to time, either directly or through its frontal  organisations.

The most contentious religious issue facing the country today is the demand for the construction of Ram temple in the city of Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh. On December 6, 1992, an unruly mob demolished the structure, which Muslims claim was a mosque built by Mughal emperor, Babar, in Ayodhya. The mob was instigated by the RSS (read Sangh parivar), while its political offshoot, Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) was in power in Uttar Pradesh when the incident took place. The riots that broke out in the aftermath of the incident are considered to be the biggest riots witnessed by the country after partition. The unfortunate incident is considered as the black spot on secular India. However, the RSS claims that the mosque was built by demolishing a temple where Lord Ram was born and it was a matter of faith for Hindus. The RSS says it is ready to build a mosque for Muslims at some distance from where the original structure was situated.

The temporary Ram temple built after the demolition of the structure is provided round the clock security by the state government as some people may try to whip up the public sentiments by mounting an attack on it. The whole matter is currently in the Supreme Court but most people feel that since it is matter of faith hence it should be decided by mutual discussion between leaders of Hindu and Muslim communities. However, sangh parivar is not ready to budge even an inch from its stand of building a permanent Ram temple on the site of demolished structure. The issue is a major obstacle in the path of harmony between the two communities and it will be interesting to see whether the RSS would soften its stand on the issue in future.

The Liberhan Commission, set up in 1992 to investigate the demolition of Babri Masjid, observes, "The blame or the credit for the entire temple construction movement at Ayodhya must necessarily be attributed to the Sangh Parivar". It noted that the Sangh Parivar is an "extensive and widespread organic body", which encompasses organizations, which address and assimilate just about every type of social, professional and other demographic grouping of individuals. "Each time, a new demographic group has emerged, the Sangh Parivar has hived off some of its RSS inner-core leadership to harness that group and bring it within the fold, enhancing the voter base of the Parivar." Two prominent leaders of Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP), a political offshoot of the RSS, Lal Krishna Advani and Atal Vihari Vajpayee were also indicted in its report that submitted to Prime Minister Man Mohan Singh on 30 June 2009

The RSS has often been accused of not giving due respect to dalits or low caste people in the organisation. Most of the prominent posts in Sangh Parivar's organisational hierarchy have been held by the people of upper castes. The RSS, however, denies this allegation and maintains that many dalit and backward class people hold responsible posts in the organisation. In 2006, former RSS chief, K.S. Sudarshan stated, "The Dalits are our own flesh and blood, but because of some ill practices and social evils the practice of untouchability has brought havoc on those who were an integral part and defenders of Dharma. This has to be corrected through our deeds and actions." Despite what the RSS has to say on this issue, dalits in India do not associate themselves with the RSS or Sangh parivar, for that matter.

History of Ban

The RSS activities have been shrouded in mystery. In 1948, it was accused of having a hand in Mahatma Gandhi's killing and was banned on Feb. 4 of the same year. However, the Supreme Court of India lifted the ban in March 1949 on the condition that the RSS must adopt a constitution. Justice Kapur Commission that was formed to investigate the conspiracy behind Mahatma's killing, observed, "...RSS as such were not responsible for the murder of Mahatma Gandhi, meaning thereby that one could not name the organization as such as being responsible for that most diabolical crime, the murder of the apostle of peace". "It has not been proved that they (the accused) were members of the RSS which shows that they (the accused) were believers in a more violent form of activities..."

The RSS activities during Indo-Pak partition are also looked at with suspicion by many. In 1946, about 1,000 people were killed at Garmukteshwar, supposedly by the RSS people.However, in 1963, Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru invited RSS to take part in Republic day parade, for its commendable work during the Sino-Indian war. This helped in boosting RSS' popularity and its patriotic image in the country. In 1975, when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declared emergency, the RSS along with other democratic institutions was banned. Several RSS leaders and scores of its activists were put behind bars. Nevertheless, the ban was lifted with the end of emergency in 1977.

The RSS volunteers are known for their immediate and selfless service during any calamities – man made or natural. During earthquakes, floods, drought, and riots, the RSS volunteers are first to offer help. In 2001, when the state of Gujarat was hit by a massive earthquake, RSS volunteers were first to reach the site and offer help. Saba Naqvi Bhaumik told Outlook on Feb. 12, 2001 "Literally within minutes RSS volunteers were at the scenes of distress. Across Gujarat, the (RSS) cadres were the saviors. Even as the state machinery went comatose in the first two days after the quake, the cadre-based machinery of the Sangh fanned out throughout the state. Approximately 35,000 RSS members in uniform were pressed into service."

The reputed Indian magazine, India Today, reported in its Feb. 12, 2001 issue, "It is conceded by even their worst detractors that the RSS has been in the forefront of the non- official rescue and relief (operations). This has led to an upsurge of goodwill for the Sangh."

In 1984, during anti-Sikh riots, RSS volunteers saved lives of many Sikhs by protecting them from rioting mobs. Khuswant Singh, a noted journalist and author of book "A history of Sikhs" commented, "RSS has played an honorable role in maintaining Hindu-Sikh unity before and after the murder of Indira Gandhi in Delhi and in other places.
It was the Congress (I) leaders who instigated mobs in 1984 and got more than 3000 people killed. I must give due credit to RSS and the BJP for showing courage and protecting helpless Sikhs during those difficult days."

Despite of RSS being dubbed as communal and Hindu organisation by many in the country, there is no dearth of people lauding its efforts and services. Dr. Zakir Hussain, former Indian President stated on Nov. 20, 1949, "The allegations against RSS of violence and hatred against Muslims are wholly false. Muslims should learn the lesson of mutual love, cooperation and organization from RSS."

 

Field Marshall Cariappa, hero of Indo-Pak war in 1947, told RSS volunteers, "RSS is my heart's work. My dear young men, don't be disturbed by uncharitable comments of interested persons. Look ahead! Go ahead! The country is standing in need of your services."

However, India, a land of miracles, comfortably accommodates both the Sangh parivar and its detractors. That is the greatness and culture of this heavenly piece of earth in this part of the world.

 

About the Author

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