By Ankita Gupta
Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi praised the Indian saints and seers for preserving our culture for centuries. He honoured the reverent saint Shri Rang Avadhoot Maharaj in a public address on the 50th Nirvan anniversary of Avadhoot Maharaj, which was celebrated at Nareshwar.
Tribute to Shri Rang Avadhoot Maharaj
In an hour-long speech, Modi commended Rang Avadhoot Maharaj, a saint-poet who hails from Gujarat. Addressing a mass of gathering in a video conference in the Bharuch District of Gujarat, Modi stated, “We are blessed that time and again saints and seers take birth in our country and work hard to protect Indian culture and traditions.” He gave the example of Shri Avadhoot Maharaj as a pioneering saint whose life is a perfect blend of patriotism and spirituality. In the program which marked the commencement of a year-long festivity, Modi acknowledged the great saint’s role in our fight for freedom. “He distributed spiritual knowledge, he gave to the society his books, clothes to the poor, food to the hungry and medicines to those who were unhealthy.”
Modi’s saintly soft corner
Modi expressed that he was blessed to be part of a country, where seers and saints are born time and again to protect the rich Indian heritage and culture. He has great respect for the learned gurus who have encouraged the society to believe that humanity is the biggest religion. He pointed out that societies around the world look up to our country in times of despair which is the “true recognition of our values.” He also acknowledged the charitable work done by Saint Kabir, for spreading light into the lives of the poor and ensuring that there was no discrimination on the basis of religion and caste. Ever since the start of the Bhakti Movement, the saints have worked hard to remedy the society from all ills. Even in the Swachch Bharat Abhiyaan, Modi has spoken about the wise words of the Indian saints in spreading awareness about cleanliness.
To commemorate the life of Rang Avadhoot Maharaj, he even christened a bridge after him. “Normally, the names of bridges, roads and buildings are named after politicians. But when I was the chief minister of Gujarat, I had named a new bridge built near Poicha as Rang Setu,” shared Modi. He has ensured that a portrait of the saint holds pride of place in a bridge at Maninagar, his former constituency.
Modi’s dream: Vanquishing societal evils
This is the second time that PM has been a key speaker in a religious function held at his home-state. Earlier in November, the PM had arrived in person to Gandhinagar and had attended the silver jubilee of Akshardham temple of Swaminarayan sect.
Narendra Modi has iterated the importance of getting rid of the social evils that plague the Indian Society- like black money, casteism, terrorism, corruption, communalism and nepotism. “We have to pledge to rid our society of these evils,” said Modi. By the time our countries head towards 2022, Modi dreams of moulding a new India which is liberated, progressive and united.
Featured Image Credits: narendramodiofficial on VisualHunt.com / CC BY-SA
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