2024-09-19 19:47:20
Author: Swami Chidananda Saraswati
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has completed 10 years of ruling the country. During this period, unprecedented positive changes have taken place in every field. The work done in the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav towards freedom from the mentality of slavery has not only revived the cultural diversity and great cultural heritage of the country, but has also made it famous all over the world.
Narendra Modi’s tenure is the period of cultural renaissance of India. In the last 10 years, not only has the political culture of the country changed, everyone has also experienced a change in the work culture. People have also become aware of the great culture and heritage which was lost somewhere after independence and before the arrival of the Modi government.
The resolution of developed India will be fulfilled
Today, the public is confident that the resolution of a developed India will be fulfilled under the leadership of Narendra Modi. The Prime Minister brought to permanent solutions all the issues such as Ram Mandir, triple talaq, Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and citizenship law, which have been the center of politics in the country since independence. In the last decade, the Modi government has created a new record of cultural revival, poor welfare and global respect.
Taught to be proud of cultural heritage and legacy
Earlier, the cultural heritage of the country suffered many blows. After the partition of the country, not only did the Hindu society have to fight for its existence but our great culture also had to go through a trial by fire. But after Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister, that environment changed. He taught the countrymen to be proud of their cultural heritage and legacy. He linked cultural heritage to common life, foreign policy and development, which not only binds the country together but also builds a bridge of equality among all sections of society. For the first time through Kashi Tamil Sangam and Saurashtra Tamil Sangam, Prime Minister Modi explained how cultural diversity can prove to be effective in maintaining the unity and integrity of the country.
In the past years, the construction of the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor, the inauguration of the grand Shri Mahakal Mahalok in Ujjain, the celebration of Lord Shri Ram’s Vijay Yatra with millions of lamps in Ayodhya, the construction of the grand temple of Lord Shri Ram after 500 years, the renovation of temples in Jammu and Kashmir, the construction of a grand temple in Pavagadh, the construction of Maa Vindhyavasini Corridor, the construction of the Buddha Circuit, the construction of the Jain Circuit, the construction of the Sufi Circuit and the development of Kedarnath-Badrinath-Somnath Dham are proof of the fact that the country’s Sanatan culture is undergoing a renaissance under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi.
When the 1600-year-old heritage Nalanda University was revived, Yoga and Ayurveda also became popular. After becoming the Prime Minister in 2014, Narendra Modi presented Yoga to the whole world in the United Nations General Assembly and got June 21 recognized as International Yoga Day. This was the first important occasion of mass acceptance of India’s cultural heritage on the global stage.
Hundreds of temples are being renovated
After a long gap, hundreds of temples in Jammu and Kashmir are being renovated. The renovation work of the 700-year-old Mangaleshwar Bhairav temple in Srinagar has started. The Martand Sun Temple in Anantnag is being renovated. The Maa Sharda Devi Temple in Kupwara has been inaugurated.
change of sentiment not name change
It was an irony that even years after independence, we were carrying the colonial mindset. Many cities, roads, many important government institutions and even the country’s education system bore the imprint of colonialism. The Prime Minister took a vow from the ramparts of the Red Fort on August 15 to free the country from the mindset of slavery and started working on it. The road connecting India Gate and Rashtrapati Bhavan, which the British had named Kingsway in honour of King George V, was renamed Kartavya Path. The colonial era St. George’s Cross on the Indian Navy’s flag was also replaced with a symbol inspired by the royal seal of the Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Similarly, the statue of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose was installed in the canopy located about 150 meters from India Gate, where the statue of King George V used to be earlier. Going beyond all this, the Prime Minister’s residence Race Course Road was renamed Lok Kalyan Marg. This was not just a change of name, but a change of spirit.
The Modi government gave the country a new Parliament building imbued with the idea of Indianness, in which Senegal was established as a part of the heritage of India’s great civilization. The Modi government promoted cultural integration through languages by introducing the new National Education Policy. Taking special care that no youth is deprived of technical education due to linguistic complexity, engineering and medical education has also been started in Hindi language in many states under the new education policy.
Black laws removed
Even 70 years after the British left India, the laws made by them still remain in force in the courts. Many such laws were tools of exploitation of Indians during the British Raj. In order to eliminate every symbol of slavery, this government has given the country indigenous laws in the form of the Indian Judicial Code, whose aim is not to punish but to prevent crime.
These efforts of the government in the Amrit Kaal of Independence are giving a new identity to the cultural heritage of India. Today the youth of the country is proud of its language, culture and great heritage. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the pioneer of this great yagya of cultural awakening of the country, the country is moving ahead on the path of self-reliance and self-confidence along with development and heritage.
(The author is a renowned religious leader and president of Parmarth Niketan Ashram in Rishikesh)
Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author’s own