On Sunday, February 11, Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioned the need for an education system based on Indian values while virtually addressing an event commemorating the 200th Birth Anniversary of Swami Dayanand Saraswati. The event was hosted at the Arya Samaj founder’s birth place in Tankara, Gujarat.
“An education system based on Indian values is the need of the hour. Arya Samaj schools have been a centre for this. The country is now expanding it through the National Education Policy. It is our responsibility to connect the society with these efforts,” said PM Modi.
The Prime Minister added how Maharishi Dayanand Ji’s 200th birth anniversary coincides with the initial period of India’s “Amrit Kaal”.
Modiji’s address was also broadcasted on his X handle.”The path shown by Swami Dayanand Saraswati ji is infusing hope among crores of people in Amritkal. It is a privilege for me to be a part of the program related to his 200th birth anniversary,” he tweeted.
Mr. Modi expressed his desire to participate in the event in-person, however, that was not possible due to some unforeseen circumstances. Talking about Dayanandji’s influence on his life, Mr. Narendra Modi stated how the two have shared analogues courses, from having a common birthplace to spending a considerable amount of time in Haryana.
PM Seeks Assistance of Arya Samaj and DAV
Narendra Modi ji also thanked the Arya Samaj for hosting the event in honor of Swami Dayanand Saraswati and keeping his legacy alive and encouraged them to instill the youth with the same values and visions and Swami Dayanand ji through their various educational institutions including schools, colleges and gurukuls. He has also sought the collaboration of the students of the DAV (Dayanand Anglo Vedic) educational network in the “Mera Yuva Bharat” initiative which has been launched to cater to the needs of India’s youths.
Narendra Modi Reflects On Dayanandji’s Contributions Towards The Fight Against Colonialism
The Hindu stated how PM Modi lauded the efforts of Dayanand Saraswati Ji which helped revive an education system based on the Vedas and in turn assisted in the mitigation of “social evils” and superstitions and restored the principles of “scientific thinking” and Indian spirituality.
“Swami Dayanandji then told the country how our stereotypes of orthodoxy and superstitions had engulfed the country, and weakened our scientific thinking. These social evils had attacked our unity,” stated Modiji. “A section of the society was continuously drifting away from the Indian culture and spirituality. In such times, Swami Dayanandji called for a return to the Vedas”.
Hailing Dayanandji as a “sage of national consciousness”, PM Modi further stated how the reinvigoration of Vedic religion and teachings reshaped our society and helped resist the oppressive regime of British colonial rule. Narendra Modi ji also cited the efforts of his own government like increasing the reservation for women in Lok Sabha in an attempt to mirror Dayanandji’ policies advocating gender equality and women’s rights.
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