MP Arun Govil distributes copies of Ramayana to Meerut jail inmates, comes face-to-face with murder accused Muskan and her boyfriend Sahil

“While distributing copies of the Ramayana in the jail, I also met Muskan and Sahil who, too, willingly took the copies of the epic. Though we did not exchange a word, I asked the inmates to take a vow of not doing any such activity in the future, for which they have to be in jail again,” said Govil.

From January 22 this year, the first anniversary of the inauguration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, Govil has started distributing copies of the Ramayana. He has set a target of distributing 11 lakh such copies across the country during his five-year term in Parliament.

The ambitious exercise is aimed “to counter negative thoughts among people that often drive them towards criminal activities,” said the BJP MP, who played Lord Ram in Ramanand Sagar’s iconic Ramayan TV series.

The Lok Sabha MP said he started his mission after Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave his go-ahead. “When I contested the Lok Sabha elections, I was among the poorest contestants. After the elections, my financial condition worsened, but I have decided to spend my own money for the distribution of the copies. If anyone wants to join me in this massive project, he or she is welcome. The copies will also be given to the MPs,” said Govil.

A website has also been launched so that anyone willing to have a copy can contact through the portal, Govil said at his residence in Defence Colony in Meerut.

The Ramayana is being printed at Geeta Press in Gorakhpur in 13 languages so that it can be read even by the non-Hindi-speaking population, he mentioned.

“If anyone can imbibe even 10 per cent of the message and morals in the epic in his or her life, it can lead to the welfare of society and also the self,” Govil said.