PM hails Kerala social reformer Narayana Guru

New Delhi/Thiruvananthapuram: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday hailed the contributions of Sree Narayana Guru, a saint-cum-social reformer from Kerala, in the fight against caste discrimination which prevailed in Indian society and said he had laid equal emphasis on modernity and traditional values.

If people follow Sree Narayana Guru's teachings and message of 'one caste, one religion and one God', then no force in the world would be able to divide the country, Modi observed. The Prime Minister said as Indians we have only one caste – Indianness – one religion – dharma or service and duty – and one God – mother India.

Therefore, the guru's message of one caste, one religion and one God gives a spiritual dimension to our patriotism. "We all k n o w t h a t n o goal of the world is impossible for the united Indians", he added. In the backdrop of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, Modi also put forward his analysis of India's freedom struggle, saying that according to him it always had a spiritual foundation.

Further clarifying his analysis, the Prime Minister said, "Our freedom struggle was never confined to expression of protest and political strategies. "While it was a fight to break the chains of slavery, it was informed by the vision of how we will be as an independent country as, only what we are opposed to is not important, what we stand for is more important."

Modi also said that meetings of leaders like Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, Gandhi Ji and Swami Vivekananda and many other dignitaries with Sree Narayana Guru sowed the seeds of reconstruction of India and the results of the same are visible today, 75 years after India's independence.

He was speaking at a ceremony organised in Delhi by the Sree Narayana Dharma Sanghom Trust to mark the 90th anniversary of the Sivagiri pilgrimage and the Golden Jubilee of Brahma Vidyalaya. He also launched the logo for the year-long joint celebrations during the event which was attended by Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar and V Muraleedharan, the Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs. (PTI)