Journalism of Courage
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday paid tribute to Dayanand Saraswati on the 200th birth anniversary of the social reformer, hailing his contributions towards the fight against social discrimination and untouchability. “Evils that were falsely attributed to religion, swamiji removed them with the light of religion itself,” Modi said.
Speaking in New Delhi after inaugurating the birth anniversary celebrations that will take place over two years, Modi said that at the time of Dayanand Saraswati’s birth, India was losing its prestige “owing to centuries of slavery”.
“At that time, he came forward to prove that the problem is not in India’s dharma and tradition, but in the fact that we have forgotten its true meaning,” he said. “There was an effort to humiliate us on the basis of false interpretations of our vedas by foreigners.”
“In the 21st century, when the world is facing several challenges, and is surrounded by violence and instability, the path shown by Dayanand Saraswati gives hope to crores of people,” he said.
Modi said when he talks of walking on the path of “kartavya”, he is questioned for not bringing up rights. “If this is the case with me in the 21st century, imagine 150 years ago what kind of difficulties Swami Dayanand would have faced in showing a path to society,” he said.
He made special mention of Dayanand Saraswati’s role in women empowerment, and towards education of girls, saying his government is following this in letter and spirit.
Born on February 12, 1824, Dayanand Saraswati founded Arya Samaj in 1875 to counter social inequities. Arya Samaj is said to have played a crucial role in social awakening through its emphasis on social reforms and education.
“Now, the country is saying with full self-confidence that we will strengthen our traditions while ushering in modernity,” Modi said. “We are running on the tracks of virasat (heritage) and vikas (development).”
The Prime Minister spoke of the achievements of ancient India in philosophy, yoga, mathematics, policy, diplomacy, science and medical science. “Swami ji played a big role in reviving that ancient tradition,” Modi said.
The Prime Minister said the country is seeing progress on non-discrimination, which was a priority for Dayanand Saraswati too.
