New Delhi, Sep 20 (PTI) A three-day national conference of the volunteers and office bearers of the Akhil Bharatiya Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram began in Haryana's Samalakha town on Friday to discuss a range of issues, including its activities and programmes in different parts of the country.
Inaugurating the conference, noted Bhagwat kathakar (one who recites the scriptures) Ramesh Bhai Ojha called upon the seers to visit the tribal areas and conduct katha-pravachan (religious discourse and recitation of scriptures) so that the integrity and unity of the country remain intact.
"He cautioned that if it is not done, someone else will reach there and the situation will lead to (religious) conversion," the Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram quoted Ojha as saying in his address to the participants.
Speaking on the occasion, RSS joint general secretary Ramdatt exhorted the participants to reach out to the tribals in expanding the Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram's work in the areas yet to be reached.
"The Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram will complete 75 years of its foundation in the next three years. All of us should make a resolve that we will expand our work among those tribes in areas where we have not reached yet," the organisation quoted the senior RSS functionary as saying in his address.
The Akhil Bharatiya Karyakarta Sammelan of the Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram, an affiliate of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), will conclude on Sunday.
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat will join the conference on Saturday and remain present at various sessions to be held till Sunday. He will also address the participants at the conference.
On Friday, members of as many as 80 different tribes of the country will perform puja in different pandals on the premises of the conference venue in the presence of the RSS chief, showcasing their traditional worship methods to send out "a message of unity", the organisation's publicity and media communication head Pramod Pethkar had said here.
The Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram's office bears, volunteers and representatives of various tribes, including those from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, and southern states are attending the conference, held once every three years.
"In this three-day conference, various issues including the activities and programmes of the Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram in different parts of the country will be discussed,” the organisation said.