Was India's well known environmentalist Vandana Shiva among select speakers at the World Hindu Congress held in Delhi in Nov 2014 ?

Report dated 17 November 2014 in The Pioneer on who's who expected at the World Hindu Congress. Many of the people mentioned in the below report did attend the event but Did Vandana Shiva really address the congress?. Here presence is suggested by a report in The Telegraph dated 22 Nov 2014. A third report on the proceedings somehow doesnt list here.

see reports pasted below:


The Pioneer
http://www.dailypioneer.com/nation/rss-bjp-leaders-to-address-world-hindu-congress.html

RSS, BJP leaders to address World Hindu Congress
Monday, 17 November 2014 | Deepak K Upreti | New Delhi

Delegates from 40 countries to take part in 3-day event starting from Nov 21

Come November 21 and 1,500 delegates — with nearly half of them from 40 countries — will descend on the National Capital for the three-day World Hindu Congress (WHC), that will among others work out the “strategic positioning” of the Hindu society on the world stage.

Organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), the WHC will, however, not be essentially marked with the presence of saffron-clad sadhus or those carrying Trishuls, reminiscent of the Kumbh Mela or a typical conclave of the saffron outfit. It will rather seek to present the “modern face” of Hindus and work out ways to increase India’s contribution to the world GDP besides hold extensive deliberations on education, media, politics, economy and other “secular subjects”.

RSS chief Mohan Rao Bhagwat will inaugurate the WHC and senior Sangh leaders like Suresh Joshi ‘Bhaiyaji’, Datta ji Hosabale and Krishna Gopal will address the various sessions. Nobel Laureate Dalai Lama and Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari, Smriti Irani, Nirmala Sitharaman, economist Bibek Debroy, former ISRO Chairman G Madhavan Nair and CBSE chairman Vineet Joshi will also attend and address the gathering.

“Aimed at Hindu rise and resurgence,” as the organisers put it, “the WHC’s thrust will be on giving a distinct global identity to the majority community”. If the delegates will be given a copy of Prabudham, a book on the lives of Hindu leaders, then the food served at the event — to be held at the State-run Ashoka Hotel — understandably, will be strictly vegetarian.

“The main idea behind the WHC 2014 is to provide a global platform for Hindu society to deliberate and formulate solutions to the myriad challenges being faced by Hindus worldwide and to devise workable and tangible solutions that can be implemented,” say VHP leaders. Over 200 speakers including several Union Ministers, educationists, economists, IITians, bankers and other professionals will participate in the about 45 interactive sessions at the hotel over the three days.

Almost all the foreign-based RSS outfits will be represented in the WHC. RSS has its branches in Middle-east, Bangladesh, Africa, USA and Europe.

The session, ‘Role of women in Hindu resurgence’, will see addresses from Union Ministers Irani and Seetharaman, besides environmental activist Vandana Shiva, former IPS officer Kiran Bedi and women activist Madhu Kishwar. The HRD Minister will speak on ‘Encouraging leadership among Hindu women’ while the Commerce Minister will articulate herself on ‘Women in politics: Bharat & World.’

The session devoted to the Education with the theme ‘Creating & Networking Educational Resources for Civilisational Re-emergence’ will be addressed by Chairman, Board of Governors, IIT Delhi Vijay Bhatkar, Smriti Irani, Kapil Kapoor, V-C MG International Hindi University, Wardha and other scholars.

With Indian economy being a special focus area, speakers like Dalai Lama, Mohan Bhagwat, Gadkari, Seetharaman, Gautam Sen of London School of Economics & Politics, Chairman London Chamber of Commerce & Industry Subhash Thakrar besides Debroy among others will articulate their views.

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http://www.telegraphindia.com/1141122/jsp/nation/story_19073328.jsp

The Telegraph, November 22, 2014

Ayodhya echo in ‘polished’ setting
RADHIKA RAMASESHAN

New Delhi, Nov. 21: A World Hindu Congress kicked off today hailing the Narendra Modi government’s arrival as the “rediscovery of Hindu-ruled India” eight centuries after Muhammad Ghori had defeated Prithviraj Chauhan.

The three-day event, primarily hosted by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, seemed to be promoting a slightly more upscale version of the 1990s Hindu revanchism that culminated in the demolition of the Babri Masjid.

It was also possible to read in the Dalai Lama’s speech, as chief guest, a hint at a potential new political alliance.

Tilak streaked across his forehead, the Buddhist monk turned to look at his fellow speakers on the dais, among them RSS chief Mohanrao Bhagwat and VHP patriarch Ashok Singhal.

He then declared: “We are not only your chelas (followers) but are quite reliable chelas. Hinduism and Buddhism are like spiritual brothers and I am a good Hindu.”

The line-up of speakers seemed to reflect an effort to prop up a new thinking elite as a counterweight to the Nehruvian set.

Among the standouts were Surjit S. Bhalla, economist and columnist who has praised Modi’s economic agenda with caveats; Vijay Bhatkar, chairman of the IIT Delhi board of governors; G. Madhavan Nair, former chairman of space agency Isro; and green crusader Vandana Shiva.

The refrain in star speaker Singhal’s address was that it was time to “reawaken” the “invincible Hindu”.

If there was a difference with the Ayodhya agitation, it was this: while the battle for the temple had played out on the streets, today’s rhetoric bellowed across the convention centre at a five-star hotel before young and well-heeled Hindus from India and abroad.

The audience response, though, was near-identical. Cries of “Jai Shri Ram” and “Garv se kaho hum Hindu hain (Say it proudly, I am a Hindu)” were heard after decades.

Singhal, whom Atal Bihari Vajpayee had marginalised during the term of the first BJP-led government, referred directly to the temple agitation in which he had played a key role.

“India’s Independence was only political independence; our self-respect… had not been awakened. The first test was in 1966 when the country’s cow bhakts (worshippers) gathered peacefully (in Delhi) to demand a ban on their killing,” Singhal said.

“They believed that the government was theirs. But the government behaved exactly like the British would have, opened fire and killed the bhakts. So a realisation dawned that until Hindus became a mahashakti (great power) and produced invincible individuals, Hindu traditions will not be safe.”

It was Ayodhya that apparently changed it all.

“There were other tests that proved that if there was a serious effort, Hindus could be mobilised. Hindu shakti was demonstrable when we launched the Ganga yatras and later when we started the Ramjanmabhoomi andolan (movement),” he said.

Bhagwat, who spoke briefly, peddled a more refined line by recasting “Hindu” to mean “human beings who see unity in every diversity”.

He suggested following the teachings of Swami Vivekananda and said Hinduism should be propagated globally to deepen “Hindu solidarity”.

“This is the time to teach the world what our Hindu traditions are about. Hard-line ideologies offer no solace. But before we speak to others, we have to follow Swami Vivekananda, awaken ourselves, arise in unison as a Hindu society and stop not till our goal is reached,” Bhagwat said.

The conference’s website spelt out the context for urging the world’s Hindus to coalesce into a “power”.

“There is a market-driven world order and Hindus have kept up with the times by taking advantage of the new avenues of economic opportunities. Along with the economic opportunities, Hindus are facing numerous challenges in the form of human rights violations, active discrimination, cultural assaults and other existentialist challenges,” it said.

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Serious discussions at WHC 2014 for Spreading Hinduism worldwide

[excerpt]
"rominent speakers includes: His Holiness Dalai Lama, Dr. Mohanrao Bhagwat, P.P.Sarsanghchalak, Hon’ble Ministers: Shri Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Smt. Smriti Irani, Minister of Human Resources Development, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Dr. Ashni Singh, Minister of Finance, Republic of Guyana; Eminent Scientists: G. Madhavan Nair, Dr. Vijay Bhatkar, leading educationists: Prof. S.B. Majumdar, Dr. G. Visvanthan, Prof. Kapil Kapoor, Film Makers Priyadarshan and Major Ravi, Popular film actress from South Smt. Sukanya Ramesh."
http://vskbharat.com/serious-discussions-at-whc-2014-for-spreading-hinduism-worldwide/?lang=en