On this day in 1893, #SwamiVivekananda delivered the famous Chicago speech. Presenting some archives culled from the pages of PM @narendramodi's history
Here Modi discusses how Vivekananda explained Advaita to the Western world.
[Audio excerpt, Sangh Shiksha Varg in Pune, 1985]
#SwamiVivekananda had a profound influence on young Modi's mind, inspiring him to dedicate his life to service.
A journey of inner discovery began at the Ramakrishna Mission, where Modi lived with sadhus and saints. During his stay, he got to spend time in Vivekananda's chamber.
What are duties or Kartavya?
A voracious reader by mind and a curious young man at heart, Modi collected #SwamiVivekananda's quotes in his diary. Modi regularly discussed the philosophy and contributions of the Hindu monk with youngsters.
[Handwritten, Personal Diary]
The message of national unity & integrity was proclaimed through the Ekta Yatra, which commenced in 1991 from Kanyakumari. Modi was given the huge responsibility of organizing the 45-day Yatra.
[Narendra Modi & Murli Manohar Joshi at the Vivekananda Rock Memorial in Kanyakumari]
In 1993 Modi was invited to attend the Global Vision 2000 convention in Washington DC for the centenary celebrations of #SwamiVivekananda’s 1893 speech at the World Parliament of religions.
10,000 delegates from 60 countries attended.
[Narendra Modi at Global Vision 2000, USA]
Modi hosted a youth conclave during Vivekananda's Chicago speech centennial. Youngsters marched with Indian flags flying high, accompanied by a band.
Here's a thank-you note addressed to Modi by a group that participated in celebrations of #SwamiVivekananda's arrival in the West
#SwamiVivekananda was a philosophical influence on Modi's efforts to awaken national pride.
During his travels abroad, Modi took the message of Vivekananda with him. People from the Indian diaspora were often drawn to him to discuss the ideas & teachings of the great saint.
As a tribute to #SwamiVivekananda's landmark Chicago speech at the World Parliament of Religions, then Gujarat CM Narendra Modi carried out a massive Yatra across Gujarat which commenced on 11th September 2012.
The World’s Congress: Religions at the World’s Columbian Exposition. A book commemorating #SwamiVivekananda's speech to the World Religions Summit of 1893.
The rare book was gifted to PM Narendra Modi by President Barack Obama.
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In his own words, @narendramodi has described the Emergency as an unexpected opportunity (Aapda Mein Avsar) that allowed him to work with leaders and organizations across the political spectrum, exposing him to diverse ideologies and viewpoints.
The story of the Emergency, however, did not begin on June 25, 1975, when it was imposed. Student-led agitations against the corruption of the Congress Party were sweeping across the entire nation, and Gujarat was no exception.
In 1974, during the Navnirman Andolan in Gujarat, Narendra Modi witnessed firsthand the power of students' voices in effecting change in the nation. As a Yuva Pracharak of the RSS, he was deputed to the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad to voice the youth movement through his fiery speeches.
जब कर्तव्य ने पुकारा तो कदम कदम बढ़ गये
जब गूंज उठा नारा 'भारत माँ की जय'
तब जीवन का मोह छोड़ प्राण पुष्प चढ़ गये
कदम कदम बढ़ गये
टोलियाँ की टोलियाँ जब चल पड़ी यौवन की
तो चौखट चरमरा गये सिंहासन हिल गये
प्रजातंत्र के पहरेदार सारे भेदभाव तोड़
सारे अभिनिवेश छोड़, मंजिलों पर मिल गये
चुनौती की हर पंक्ति को सब एक साथ पढ़ गये
कदम कदम बढ़ गये
सारा देश बोल उठा जयप्रकाश जिंदाबाद
तो दहल उठे तानाशाह
भृकुटियां तन गई
लाठियाँ बरस पड़ी सीनों पर माथे पर
[Excerpts from a poem about the Navnirman movement in the pages of Narendra Modi's personal diary]
#DarkDaysOfEmergency
Once the Emergency was imposed, @narendramodi joined the protests against it. At a time when censorship was at its peak, Modi and other volunteers organized meetings and took on the responsibility of disseminating underground literature. At that time, he worked closely with senior RSS leaders like Nath Zagda and Vasant Gajendragadkar.
Because of tight security, dissemination of information was a challenge. However, Narendra Modi devised a unique solution: he loaded materials related to the Constitution, laws, and Congress government's excesses onto trains departing from Gujarat to other states. This helped deliver messages to remote places with less risk of detection.
After the RSS was forced to go underground, the Gujarat Lok Sangharsh Samiti was established. At age 25, he swiftly ascended to the position of its General Secretary within three years. Through his articles and correspondence, Modi was instrumental in sustaining the revolt against the Congress government, even during the most challenging periods when key movement leaders were unjustly arrested under the MISA Act.
He actively reached out to individuals abroad, sending them underground publications and urging them to publish these materials to amplify international resistance. In one correspondence, there was discussion about collecting paper cuttings of Narendra Modi's articles from publications like the Gujarat Newsletter and Sadhana Patrika, along with other underground literature and prints, intending to broadcast them on platforms like the BBC.
[Excerpt from Emergency-era correspondence sourced from Narendra Modi's personal archive (content blurred intentionally)].
#DarkDaysOfEmergency
Narendra Modi's colleagues abroad sent photocopies of 'Satyavani' and other newspapers published internationally that featured articles opposing the #DarkDaysOfEmergency. He would ensure copies of those materials were prepared and then deliver them to the jails. Additionally, underground magazines from Gujarat and Gujarati publications critical of the Emergency, such as 'Sadhana', 'Bhumiputra', and 'Sadhana' (in Marathi), were also distributed inside jails. Remarkably, an underground newspaper was regularly published from Yerwada jail in Maharashtra.
Like other Satyagrahis, @narendramodi adopted various disguises to evade detection. His disguises were so effective that even long-time acquaintances failed to recognize him. He dressed as a Swamiji in saffron attire and even as a Sikh wearing a turban. On one occasion, he successfully deceived authorities at a jail to deliver an important document.
"The Ram Mandir shall be built at the site of Ram Janmabhoomi only, the place where Ram was born. No power in the world can stop the Ram temple from being built,"
[Narendra Modi, audio extract from 'Lok Adalat Ma Ayodhya']
During the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, @narendramodi delivered many powerful speeches. One, titled 'Lok Adalat Ma Ayodhya,' was especially impactful. It resonated so well with the public that the speech was recorded and thousands of cassette copies were sold for people to listen to it again and again.
As the nation celebrates #नए_भारत_की_नई_अयोध्या, we explore the decades-long journey of Narendra Modi in the centuries-long struggle for the Ram Mandir..
As a swayamsevak in RSS, @narendramodi played a crucial role in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, focused on reclaiming Lord Rama's birthplace in Ayodhya. His involvement spans nearly six decades, dating back to the 1970s.
Many Yatras were conducted throughout India for awakening and revivalism....
In an article in Sadhana magazine from 1989, @narendramodi wrote about his vision behind the importance of the cause of Ram Mandir construction and its contribution to awakening national consciousness and uniting India.
"Today, the Ramshila has become a symbol of national consciousness, and those opposing the cause may feel uneasy. Ramshila's significance extends beyond the construction of the Ram temple; it has become the faith in the hearts of millions. Just like Lokmanya Tilak's Ganeshotsav nurtured national consciousness during the freedom movement, and Mahatma Gandhi's charkha, created a world of devotional sentiments through 'Swarajya with Charkha,' going beyond mere economic support. Similarly, in the fifth decade of independence, Ramshila has become the foundation stone of national consciousness....
To build a future India, a united India, there is a need to reconstruct those symbols that connect hearts, not those that break them. The reconstruction of Ram Janmabhoomi has also become a symbol of the message of unity by dissolving hatred. It is important to take Tulsidas' line 'राम काज करिबे को आतुर (राजकाज नहीं)' to heart today..."
Today, India is witnessing the realization of this vision with #नए_भारत_की_नई_अयोध्या under the leadership of Narendra Modi.
As the historic judgment on Article 370 shapes the path forward for the @narendramodi government's #NayaJammuKashmir, let's delve into the archives and look back at the time when the seeds of this decision were planted in the mind of a young Narendra Modi.
The removal of Article 370, while rooted in a nationalist framework, unfolds across multiple layers and is more intricate than it may initially seem. Narendra Modi, a leader known for making policy decisions based on practical experiences, applied a similar approach to the Kashmir issue. He realized early on that achieving true integration of J&K with the rest of the nation required addressing and eliminating the discrimination perpetuated by Article 370. Narendra Modi understood that this discrimination had far-reaching implications in legislative, societal, cultural, and daily aspects of the lives of the people in J&K.
Land integration alone was insufficient; the integration of Kashmir's people into India was imperative.
Early Years as a Crucible for Modi's Kashmir Understanding
@narendramodi possessed a comprehensive understanding of Kashmir's issues, backed by both book knowledge and firsthand on-ground experiences.
For instance, in a 1984-85 speech at the Sangh Shiksha Varg in Pune, when he was an RSS worker, Narendra Modi highlighted the discrimination embedded in the land laws of the region, specifically pointing to Articles 370 and 35A.
Later, as a BJP worker, he came to know of the challenges in the region through direct interactions with locals while traversing the state. These engagements occurred during a period of heightened terrorism in the late 1980s and early 1990s in the region.
#NayaJammuKashmir
Ekta Yatra in 1992: The Challenging Landscape of Terrorism
In 1992, BJP leader @narendramodi was entrusted with the responsibility of organizing the Ekta Yatra, a 45-day-long journey that commenced from the southernmost tip of India, Kanyakumari, and traversed through 14 states to reach Kashmir, often referred to as the crown jewel of India. This period was particularly tumultuous in the history of Jammu & Kashmir in particular and in India in general.
The Ekta Yatra gained added significance during these challenging times, as terrorists openly opposed the hoisting of the tricolour on Kashmiri soil. In the face of opposition from political adversaries, Narendra Modi held a clear view:
"No one should ask us to stop this journey….Our destination is Srinagar, and we unequivocally possess the right to do so. The tricolour flag will be proudly hoisted in Kashmir, an integral part of India."
In 2013, Modi was invited to inaugurate a super-speciality hospital in Pune dedicated to the late Deenanath Mangeshkar.
It was in 2013 when on meeting Modi, the Queen of Melody said - 'I pray to God that we see Narendra Bhai as PM'.
'Modi@20: Dreams Meet Delivery', a recently released book, includes a Foreword by the late Lata Mangeshkar narrating her interactions with Modi.
The 92-year-old artist describes how she saw Narendra 'bhai' not as a conventional politician, but as a leader with intent & action.
'In every part of the country, people think of him as a family member'
In the Foreword, late Lata Mangeshkar ji also recounts her 2013 meeting with Modi, which organically evolved into a bond that was like that of a brother and sister.