The National Education Policy 2020 is taking forward the vision of social reformer Swami Dayanand Saraswati, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Sunday.
In a virtual address on the 200th birth anniversary celebrations of Swami Dayanand Saraswati organised at his birthplace of Tankara in Morbi, Modi also acknowledged the extensive network of the Arya Samaj institutions across the globe.
“An education system based on Indian values is a great need of the hour. Arya Samaj schools have been its major centres. The country is now expanding it through the National Education Policy. It is our responsibility to connect the society with these efforts,” the PM stated, adding, “With over 2,500 schools, colleges, and universities, and more than 400 gurukuls educating students, Arya Samaj is a vibrant testament to modernity and guidance.”
He also urged the students and Arya Samaj institutions to contribute to ‘vocal for local’, Aatmanirbhar Bharat, Mission Life, water conservation, Swachh Bharat, sports, and fitness. He also emphasised on the significance of first-time voters to understand their responsibilities.
“It will be a true tribute to Dayanandji when the Arya Samaj takes up the responsibility of nation-building with new energy in the 21st century,” the PM said. Calling DAV institutions ‘a living memory of Swamiji’, the Prime Minister assured their continued empowerment.
“I am confident that this event will serve as an effective medium to acquaint our new generation with the life of Maharshi Dayanand,” the PM added, emphasising the importance of passing down the legacy of such remarkable personalities.
Modi also highlighted his connection with Swami Dayanand’s birthplace in Gujarat and ‘karma bhoomi’ (workplace) Haryana. “His teachings have shaped my perspective, and his legacy remains an integral part of my journey,” PM said acknowledging the profound influence of the seer on his life.
Reflecting on the transformative impact of Swami’s teachings, Prime Minister Modi remarked, “There are moments in history that alter the course of the future. Two hundred years ago, Swami Dayanand’s birth was one such unprecedented moment.”
He also highlighted Swami’s role in awakening India from the shackles of ignorance and superstition, leading a movement to rediscover the essence of vedic knowledge.
“When our traditions and spirituality were fading, when a section of the society was drifting away from culture and spirituality, Dayanandji attacked the customs by giving the mantra ‘return to the vedas’, due to which people today know and follow the Vedic religion. Our social evils were used as a means by the British government to portray us as inferiors. Some justified the British rule by referencing social changes. Swami Dayanand’s advent dealt a severe blow to these conspiracies,” Modi said.
The Prime Minister highlighted that Arya Samaj influenced the emergence of a series of revolutionaries such as Lala Lajpat Rai, Ram Prasad Bismil, and Swami Shraddhanand. “Therefore, Dayanandji was not just a Vedic sage but also a sage of national consciousness.”
He also appealed to students of the DAV educational network to connect with the ‘Mera Yuva Bharat’, an autonomous body set up by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Government of India catering to the youth of the country.
The PM also laid emphasis that the 200th anniversary has come at the beginning of the Amrit Kaal. Recalling the vision of Swami Dayanand of a bright future for the nation, he stated, “The faith that Swamiji had about India, we will have to convert that faith into our self-confidence in Amrit Kaal. Swami Dayanand was an advocate and guide of modernity”.
Addressing the importance of natural farming, the Prime Minister highlighted the efforts of Governor Acharya Devvrat, saying, “From Swami Dayanandji’s birthplace, let the message of natural farming reach every farmer in the nation”.
Praising Swami Dayanand’s advocacy for women’s rights, Modi celebrated the recent Nari Shakti Vandan Act, stating, “Through honest endeavours and new policies, the nation is advancing its daughters.”
In his address, Governor Devvrat reminded that Swami Dayanand made persuasive efforts to revive India’s economy, which had been economically hollowed out by the Mughals and the British, with special emphasis on agriculture and cow-breeding.
“The government is also realising Maharishi Dayanandji’s concept of gauseva by taking several steps in the field of cow-breeding and agriculture. In the next five years, the government will carry out a special campaign of natural farming to save health, environment, water and land, and also develop and expand cow breeds with many modern experiments in a scientific manner,” the Governor stated.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks while virtually participating in programmes associated with 200th birth anniversary of Swami Dayanand Saraswati. (PTI) 
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