Photos and Video of the Bengali "Asru Exhibition"

Photos and Video of the Bengali version of "Asru Exhibition" in Thakur Nagar, Thakurbadi, North 24 paraganas, West Bengal

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From asru exhibiti...

From asru exhibiti...

From asru exhibiti...

From asru exhibiti...

From asru exhibiti...

From asru exhibiti...

FACT in association with Hindu Samhati has organised an exhibition of the Persecution of Minorities in Bangladesh by the Islamic Fundamentalists. Ashru (tears), is an exhibition on the shocking persecution that has been and is being inflicted against the Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh. The Exhibition shall go on 1st - 6th April, 2008, at Thakurnagar.

The exhibition coincides with the holy occasion of the birthday of Sri Sri Harichand Thakur - a great social and religious reformer of the 18th century and the founding Guru of the Matuya Sect (a Vaishnav Sect). The sect which primarily consists of the Namasudras a valiant Caste of Vaishanavites assembles in numbers as close to a million and raising every year to comemorate the fight against the persecution lead by H H Sri Sri Harichand Thackur in Bangladesh and India. The persecution inflicted by the Islamists was so unbearable that H H Sri Sri Harichand Thakur had to fight them.

The exhibition is organised at Thakurnagar in West Bengal and the occasion is the birthday (Janma tithi) of H H Sri Sri Harichand Thakur. The Exhibition was inaugurated by Sri Keshav Rao Dikshit, Senior Pracharak of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. The inauguration had the previlige of having Sri Aditya Roy, noted Social Activist, Sri Advocate Ratnoswar Sorkar Secretary All India Refugee Front, Sri Tathogatho Roy, Author, Ex MP Rajya Sabha, Sri Jagadish Sorkar, Councilor, Gobardanga.

" The the people and Govt of India have forgotten the plight of the refugees from the East pakistan / East Bengal while those from the west were accomodated and well compensated those from the east are still lagging in poverty" said Sri Ratnoswar Sorkar. The Refugee front he said would take every action possible to give the refugees their deserving right.

"Hindu Samhati is done a good begining with the Bangladeshi Minorities' exhibition and I expect the Hindu Samhati to work among the lower classes of the society so that all classes of the society stand united to face any future challenges" Sri Adityo Roy. He added Hindu Unity is not possible without a conmbined effort and upliftment of the denied. The matuya sampraday had been deprived of upper class Hindus and that should never have happened when they were being persecuted by the Islamic fundamentalists.

"The head quarters of Matuya Sampraday in Bangladesh. He asked why the people of Orakandi, bangladesh are not able to come here at Thakur Nagar for this festival Matuya mela". The Simple reason He said was they are not muslims and only Muslims are pampered with all favours in Bengal. In Bengal there are some individuals and organisations trying to hide the barborous torture by muslims against Hindus. As a result Matuyas of Orakandi took refuge at Thakur Nagar and this is the time to act and if we do not resist the Illegal migration of Bangladeshis the people of Thakurnagar have to become refugees in someother part of the country. There are so many Thakur nagars along the borders said Sri Tathogatho Roy.

We have had a torturous and attrocities victims with heavy hearts all over India. in India we were inflicted with this wounds for over 1000 years, but still we have not learnt any lessons. The partition of India, direct action in Bangladesh 1946 and many other incidents stand illustration of the aparthied against the Hindus. 40,000 women along with Rani padmini welcomed death in fire rather than the attrocious bad sight of the Muslims. Hindu Samati and organisations like this are the need of the hour to bravely stand up to the attrocities and say enough is enough and to speak the truth of actually what had happened. Sri Keshav rao Dixit

Israel should be an eye opener its a perfect case study for the Hindus.

"The attrocities against Hindus are endless and still our communist inspired media or the social and human right workers do not deem it fit to raise a voice against them. In the name of the secular garb the voice of the deprived is being shutdown, in the garb of fancy words like freedom of expression and speech and selective usage of them there has been a continuous effort to insult the Hindus" Sri tapon kumar Ghosh said.

The Organisation FACT stands for Foundation Against Continuing Terrorism and you all sitting here will be surprised to learn that the founder of this organisation is a French journalist who has been living in India for more than three decades. It also reminds us of how denied and in deep slumber we Hindus are, that a foreigner has to take up the fight on our behalf. Ofcourse it is another thing that he is more Hindu than most of us. Tapon kumar Gosh







About the Mela and the Man behind it.


Thakur, Harichand (1811-1877) a Hindu votary and founder of the matuya sect, was born in Orakandi of kashiani upazila in gopalganj (Greater faridpur) on the thirteenth day of Falgun 1214 of the Bangla calendar. His father, Yashomanta Thakur, was a Maithili Brahmin and a devout Vaisnava.

H H Harichand received little formal education. After completing his initial schooling in a pathshala, he attended school for only a few months. He then started spending his time with shepherds and cowboys and roamed with them from one place to another. He started changing from this time. He was loved by all of his friends for his physical beauty, naivete, love for music and philanthropic attitude. He could also sing bhajan (devotional songs).

H H Harichand's doctrine is based on three basic principles-truth, love, and sanctity. The doctrine treats all people as equal; people are not seen according to castes or sects. Himself a Brahmin, he professed mixed with lower-caste people and treated them with the same dignity as he did other castes. This is why most of his followers believe H H Harichand to be an avatar (incarnation) of vishnu, and are from the lower strata of society. They used to affirm: Rama hari krisna hari hari gorachand. Sarba hari mile ei purna harichand (Rama is lord, Krishna is lord, lord is Chaitanyadev. But all of them make our Harichand, who is our lord.)

Harichand did not believe in asceticism; he was more of a family man; and it is from within the family that he preached the word of God. He believed that 'Grhete thakiya yar hay bhaboday. Sei ye param sadhu janio nishchay' (the best ascetic is he who can express his devotion to God remaining a family man). He mobilised all the neglected sects and castes and inspired them to remain true to the openness of Hinduism.

H H Sri Sri Harichand left 12 instructions for the matuyas, known as Dvadash Ajna (Twelve Commands):
1. always speak the truth,
2. respect your parents like gods,
3. treat woman as your mother,
4. love the world,
5. remain liberal to all the religions,
6. never discriminate on racial counts,
7. try to establish Harimandir (temple of the Lord),
8. sit in prayer everyday,
9. Sacrifice your self for God,
10. do not practice asceticism in a garb,
11. hold the six cardinal passions in check, and
12. utter the name of your Lord while working with your hand.

H H Sri Sri Harichand died on Wednesday 23 Falgun, the year 1284 of the Bangla calendar.

Hindu bathing festival in Gopalganj, Bangladesh

The Maha Baruni Bath Festival of the believers of the Hindu religion at village Orakandi under Kashiani upazila in Gopalganj is one of the biggest festivals in Bangladesh. The fair is organised every year marking the birth anniversary of Hindu priest Sri Sri Harichand Thakur, who was born in the village.

As they believe that Harichand’s residence is one of the holiest places containing holy water, thousands of pilgrims take baths in Kamona Sagar and Dudh Sagar — two ponds in the residence — on the date of his birth ‘to purify them with the holy water and to be cured of their diseases.’
Thousands of pilgrims from across the country, India, Nepal, Bhutan and Thailand attended the festival.