Phalgun Krushna Dwadashi
Ahmedabad (Gujrat): If you see a red Swastika symbol on a car or on a business card, don’t think that the Nazis are back. Look closely, this Swastika would have four dots to distinguish from the Nazi lookalike.
Many doctors and even those associated with medicine might soon be wearing this symbol on their sleeve, so to speak!
Over 10,000 doctors in Gujarat are expected to switch over to the Swastika from the red cross. Several have already gone in for printing fresh visiting cards, letter pads, clinic and hospital banners with the Swastika symbol.
"After there were objections to the misuse of the Red Cross symbol, known the world over as the sign of medical help, the articles in a bulletin published by the Ahmedabad Medical Association (AMA) in February this year, promoting the use of Swastika, caused a stir," said Gujarat secretary of IMA, Dr Bipin Patel.
Arogya Bharti, an RSS outfit of medical practitioners, had resolved in November last year to use the Swastika’s Hindu variation with the four dots in the four segments.
Arogya Bharti treasurer Pravin Bhavsar told TOI, "We started this campaign in Bhopal during our national convention held in Diwali. But, this is not compulsory, those doctors associated with the RSS are free to use it." According to him, at least 10,000 doctors are already part of the campaign.
AMA president M.C. Patel said, "Doctors in the city have started using the Swastika in place of the red cross." He said the Swastika is an auspicious symbol and there is nothing wrong with it. The Arogya Bharti said that the symbol is a source of positive energies.
However, Indian Medical Association secretary S.N. Mishra said, "Swastika is a symbol associated with a particular religion and since a doctor is not supposed to be associated with any religion, he cannot use this symbol." He warned that action would be taken against whoever was using it.
Quoting Ashfaaq Ahmed, an activist protesting against the use of red cross, the Arogya Bharti said, "According to the 1960 Geneva Convention Act, the red cross symbol is only to be used by Red Cross Society or the Armed Forces Medical Services. Other people in the medical fraternity cannot use it. There are individual symbols for the separate departments of the medical fraternity."
Source: Times of India
