ndian Hindu nationalist volunteers clean mosque in cyclone affected city STORY: In a gesture of goodwill, volunteers of the Hindu nationalist organisation, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), on Sunday (October 19), cleaned mosques in the southern Indian port city of Visakhapatnam, after cyclone Hudhud left behind a trail of destruction when it hit the region last week. The death toll from the cyclone rose to 41, as authorities struggled to restore power, transport and communication links and shelter 150,000 people who were forced to abandon their homes. Cyclone Hudhud had slammed into the coast of southern state of Andhra Pradesh and eastern Indian Odisha, tearing down tens of thousands of mud-and-thatch homes, and flattening rice, banana and sugarcane plantations. RSS states its ideology is based on the principle of selfless service to the nation. It was founded in 1925 as an educational group to train Hindu men by character-building to unite the Hindu community counter British colonialism in India and suppress Muslim separatism. Coordinator of Visakhapatnam region of RSS, Ram Bahadur, said that the political leaders in the country had created a wrong perception that RSS is against Muslims and Christians. The political leaders have done damage to the Hindu society saying that Hindus are against Muslims and Christians and all that, but Hinduism is not like that. We like everything, our base is intense love, said Bahadur. RSS volunteers were seen using electric saws to cut trees that were fallen inside the mosque complex. They were also cleaning the floors and removing broken glasses that were scattered everywhere. A volunteer with RSS, Kurmit Kaur, said they were merely being human. Here we are standing not like Hindus or Muslims but as a human being trying to save our city, said Kaur. RSS-linked groups had stepped up a campaign against Love Jihad recently - a term for what they consider to be an Islamist strategy to convert Hindu women through seduction, marriage and money. SHOWS: VISAKHAPATNAM, ANDHRA PRADESH, INDIA (OCTOBER 19, 2014) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (ANI-NO ACCESS BBC/ARD) 1. ENTRANCE TO MOSQUE MASJID-E-NOORANI 2. VOLUNTEERS OF INDIAS HINDU NATIONALIST ORGANISATION, RASHTRIYA SWAYAMSEVAK SANGH (RSS), REMOVING DEBRIS AND CLEARING FALLEN TREES FROM THE MOSQUE PREMISES 3. (SOUNDBITE) (English) COORDINATOR, VISAKHAPATNAM, INDIAS HINDU NATIONALIST ORGANISATION, RASHTRIYA SWAYAMSEVAK SANGH (RSS), RAM BAHADUR, SAYING: The political leaders have done damage to the Hindu society saying that Hindus are against Muslims and Christians and all that, but Hinduism is not like that. We love all. Our base is intense love. 4. VARIOUS OF VOLUNTEERS CLEARING TREES AND REMOVING DEBRIS 5. VOLUNTEERS POSING FOR A PHOTOGRAPH 6. (SOUNDBITE) (Hindi) A VOLUNTEER, INDIAS HINDU NATIONALIST ORGANISATION, RASHTRIYA SWAYAMSEVAK SANGH (RSS), KURMIT KAUR, SAYING: Here we are standing not like Hindus or Muslims but as human beings trying to save our city. VISAKHAPATNAM, ANDHRA PRADESH, INDIA (RECENT-OCTOBER 12, 2014) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (ANI-NO ACCESS BBC/ARD) 7. TREES SWAYING IN HEAVY WIND 8. PEOPLE STRANDED IN HEAVY RAIN AND STORM 9. A FALLEN BIKE 10. ELECTRIC POLES FALLEN, PEOPLE RUNNING 11. IRON STRUCTURE FALLEN ON CAR 12. ROOF OF PETROL PUMP GETTING DAMAGED 13. BROKEN WALL, POLES, ROOFS FALLEN ON STREET
Posted on: Mon, 20 Oct 2014 17:57:16 +0000
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