Arya Samaj preserved India's Vedic heritage, identity: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday lauded the contribution of Arya Samaj, founded by social reformer Dayanand Saraswati, in preserving India's Vedic heritage and urged them to play a greater role in promoting the study of manuscripts and the practice of natural farming.

Addressing the International Arya Mahasammelan to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the founding of Arya Samaj, the prime minister appreciated the role of the organisation in the freedom struggle and acknowledged that it had not received its due recognition because of political reasons.

"One hundred fifty years of the establishment of Arya Samaj... this occasion is not connected to just a part of the society or a sect. This occasion is connected to the Vedic heritage and identity of India," Modi said at the function attended by Maharashtra Governor Acharya Devvrat and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta among others.


Representatives from 39 countries were also present at the four-day event as part of the 200th birth anniversary celebrations of Dayanand Saraswati and 150 years of the Arya Samaj.

"This occasion is connected to that idea of India, which holds the power of self-purification like the flow of the Ganga. It is connected to that great tradition, which has continuously advanced social reform and which gave ideological energy to countless fighters in the struggle for Independence," he said.

Modi said revolutionaries such as Lala Lajpat Rai, Ram Prasad Bismil and many others drew inspiration from the Arya Samaj and dedicated everything to the cause.

"Unfortunately, due to political reasons, the Arya Samaj's role in the freedom struggle did not receive the honour it deserved," he said.

The PM said Arya Samaj has been an organisation that fearlessly speaks about Indianness, an organisation of staunch nationalists and always challenged anti-India ideologies and malicious attempts at cultural pollution.

Modi urged Arya Samaj members to encourage youth to take up the study of manuscripts, promote natural farming of coarse cereals.