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Express News Service
LUCKNOW: Asserting that the Gita Press was the only printing press in the world which was more than an organisation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday that it was a ‘jeevant astha’ (vivid faith).
“It is no less than a temple for crores of Indians,” said the PM while addressing a gathering at the concluding ceremony of the centenary celebrations of the Gita Press as the chief guest in Gorakhpur.
In a bid to counter the Congress’s criticism of the decision to award the Gandhi Peace Prize to the 100-year-old publishing house dealing in Sanatan religious content, PM Modi said Mahatma Gandhi was “emotionally attached” to the Gita Press for which he himself used to write, and had even advised it to remain free of advertisements.
The Union government had announced that the Gita Press was the winner of the Gandhi Peace Prize 2021 on June 18. This had prompted the Congress to term the decision a “travesty”. The Congress said it was like awarding VD Savarkar or Gandhi’s killer Nathuram Godse. The party also cited the alleged “stormy” relations the publisher had with Gandhi and the running battles it carried on with him on his political, religious and social agenda.
Modi claimed that Gandhi used to write for ‘Kalyan’, a magazine which the press started publishing from 1926. “It is heartening to see that Gita Press still adheres to Gandhiji’s advice and is keeping ‘Kalyan’ free of advertisements,” he said. The PM maintained that the conferment of the Gandhi Peace Prize symbolised the “huge respect” for the work and heritage the press maintained for the last 100 years.
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“It (Gita Press) has Gita in its name and it is engaged in the work on Gita (Shrimad Bhagwat Gita). Where there is Gita, there is Krishna and where there is Krishna, there is Karuna (compassion) and Karma (deeds),” said the PM. Describing the Gita Press as a “spiritual light” guiding humanity, Modi said that crores of religious texts published by the press were empowering scores of people around the globe spiritually.
The PM said that the institution was not just associated with ‘Dharma’ and ‘Karma’ but was also an embodiment of nationalism. “It unites the country and strengthens its unity,” he said, referring to the 1800 different types of religious texts that are published in 15 different languages by the press, which has nearly 20 branches in various parts of the country.
The PM recalled the history of foreign invaders destroying the libraries and culture of ‘Gurkul’ and ‘Guru-Shishya’ parampara. “Our religious texts started vanishing. The printing press started operating at a high cost, taking them away from the reach of the common man,” he said, questioning how society functioned in the absence of the Gita and Ramayana. “When the sources of moral values start drying up, the flow of society comes to a standstill,” he noted. He added that religious treatises and scriptures like Ramayana and Bhagwad Gita helped in dealing with such phases and challenges.
Modi said that the country was moving ahead by blending Vikas (development) with Virasat (heritage). “On the one hand, the country is taking a leap in digital technology and developing a world-class infrastructure, and on the other hand, we are about to see the realization of the 500-year-old dream of Ram Temple, besides restoring the glory Kashi Vishwanath Dham, Kedarnath and Mahakaal,” he said.
LUCKNOW: Asserting that the Gita Press was the only printing press in the world which was more than an organisation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday that it was a ‘jeevant astha’ (vivid faith).
“It is no less than a temple for crores of Indians,” said the PM while addressing a gathering at the concluding ceremony of the centenary celebrations of the Gita Press as the chief guest in Gorakhpur.
In a bid to counter the Congress’s criticism of the decision to award the Gandhi Peace Prize to the 100-year-old publishing house dealing in Sanatan religious content, PM Modi said Mahatma Gandhi was “emotionally attached” to the Gita Press for which he himself used to write, and had even advised it to remain free of advertisements.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });
The Union government had announced that the Gita Press was the winner of the Gandhi Peace Prize 2021 on June 18. This had prompted the Congress to term the decision a “travesty”. The Congress said it was like awarding VD Savarkar or Gandhi’s killer Nathuram Godse. The party also cited the alleged “stormy” relations the publisher had with Gandhi and the running battles it carried on with him on his political, religious and social agenda.
Modi claimed that Gandhi used to write for ‘Kalyan’, a magazine which the press started publishing from 1926. “It is heartening to see that Gita Press still adheres to Gandhiji’s advice and is keeping ‘Kalyan’ free of advertisements,” he said. The PM maintained that the conferment of the Gandhi Peace Prize symbolised the “huge respect” for the work and heritage the press maintained for the last 100 years.
ALSO READ | Buzz on PM Modi considering to contest 2024 polls from Tamil Nadu
“It (Gita Press) has Gita in its name and it is engaged in the work on Gita (Shrimad Bhagwat Gita). Where there is Gita, there is Krishna and where there is Krishna, there is Karuna (compassion) and Karma (deeds),” said the PM. Describing the Gita Press as a “spiritual light” guiding humanity, Modi said that crores of religious texts published by the press were empowering scores of people around the globe spiritually.
The PM said that the institution was not just associated with ‘Dharma’ and ‘Karma’ but was also an embodiment of nationalism. “It unites the country and strengthens its unity,” he said, referring to the 1800 different types of religious texts that are published in 15 different languages by the press, which has nearly 20 branches in various parts of the country.
The PM recalled the history of foreign invaders destroying the libraries and culture of ‘Gurkul’ and ‘Guru-Shishya’ parampara. “Our religious texts started vanishing. The printing press started operating at a high cost, taking them away from the reach of the common man,” he said, questioning how society functioned in the absence of the Gita and Ramayana. “When the sources of moral values start drying up, the flow of society comes to a standstill,” he noted. He added that religious treatises and scriptures like Ramayana and Bhagwad Gita helped in dealing with such phases and challenges.
Modi said that the country was moving ahead by blending Vikas (development) with Virasat (heritage). “On the one hand, the country is taking a leap in digital technology and developing a world-class infrastructure, and on the other hand, we are about to see the realization of the 500-year-old dream of Ram Temple, besides restoring the glory Kashi Vishwanath Dham, Kedarnath and Mahakaal,” he said.
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