Hindu seers to check religious conversions

Seers to meet in Delhi today
By Syed Akbar
Published in The Asian Age/Deccan Chronicle on June 23, 2006
Hyderabad, June 22: With instances of religious conversions on the rise in the country, Visakhapatnam-based Sri Swarupanandendra Swami of Sri Sarada Peetham has launched a nationwide campaign to mobilise the support of Hindu seers to protect the Vedic dharma.
Sri Swarupanandendra Swami will hold a series of meetings with Hindu religious scholars and sankaracharyas for two days from Friday in New Delhi to chalk out a strategy to stop Hindus from converting to other religions. During his stay in New Delhi he is scheduled to meet, among others, Sri Swami Jayendrananda Maharaj and Sri Swami Prabhavananda Maharaj.
More than two dozen seers are expected to participate in the meeting. Later, the Swamiji will hold a conclave of Hindu seers for three days from June 25 onwards in Haridwar.
Prominent swamis including Sri Vidyanandagiri, mahamandaleshwar of Kailash ashram, Rishikesh, and Sri Medhananda Puri Maharaj, mandaleshwar of the same ashram, will be present. The Sarada Peetham will launch a campaign all over the country after mobilising support from Hindu seers of various cults.
"The idea of a nationwide campaign is to protect the Hindu dharma from attacks from different quarters. Attempts are being made to weaken Hinduism. Religious conversions and preaching of non-Hindu religions in Hindu holy places are on the rise. We will educate Hindus and remind them of the ancient values of our Sanatan Dharma," the swami observed.
The Sarada Peetham also plans to hold a meeting of sadhus and sants in Hyderabad on September 10 as part of the campaign. The programme was originally scheduled for June 30, but had to be postponed to September 10 as swamiji will be busy mobilising support of other Hindu seers in north India, a spokesperson of the peetham said.
Hindu religious scholars have expressed anger over preaching of non-Hindu religions in Tirumala and Simhachalam. The police had to intervene and take into custody the preachers in both the places recently.