Many among us mortal souls may still ask Pt. Deendayal Upadhyaya, who ? But ask anyone within the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), or erstwhile Jana Sangh, now Bharatiya Janaty Party, and you will realise what the man means to them. A man of simple means with high ideals, not known to compromise with his principles, Pt. Deendayal Upadhyaya, is today remembered for his unflinching faith in 'Antodaya' (upliftment of the last man or in other terms development of the bottom strata of socioeconomic hierarchy) and 'Ekatam Manavad' (or Integral Humanism, a philosophy which advocates the simultaneous and integrated program of the body, mind and intellect and soul of each human being).
In the centenary year of his birth, the BJP Government in Haryana has decided to take his twin messages down to the grassroots level in a big way. A proposed blue print of year long calendar of events, to coincide with the golden jubilee celebrations of the state, was put to discussion in the first meeting of the State Level Pt. Deendayal Upadhyay Birth Centenary Commemoration Committee, presided over by Haryana Governor Prof Kaptan Singh Solanki, who is Patron of the committee, at Haryana Raj Bhawan, on Thursday.
Photos By: Life in Chandigarh
Besides Chief Minister Manohar Lal, who is Chairman of the committee, representatives of Deendayal Research Institute, which is the knowledge partner for organizing the events during the centenary year, Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kanwar Pal, ministers, politicians, intellectuals, professionals and senior officers participated in the meeting.
The Governor and the Chief Minister unveiled a statue of Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya in Haryana Raj Bhawan and went around a poster and book exhibition.
Prof Solanki said, by following the path of development shown by Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, with focus on the last man in the queue, Haryana, and the country could forge ahead in the 21st century.
Giving specific examples from the life of Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, to highlight his simplicity and steadfast commitment to principles, Chief Minister Manohar Lal said the high ideals of the great thinker and ‘karamyogi’ will be taken down to the grassroots level by way of a string of activities and events across the state. He said the ‘Khel Mahakumbh’ scheduled to be held in the month of September and October 2017 was also being named after Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyay. Apart from this, a Granth Mala based on the life of Pt. Deen Dayal has been published and 2000 copies of it have been distributed to libraries throughout the state, he added.
Among the suggestions aired by various participants were planting of 101 trees in each of the gram panchayats on the occasion of his centenary birth anniversary, setting up of learning centres for competitive exams and for special children in his name, setting up of labour colonies, convention centre, permanent light and sound shows, health scheme for treatment of poor people in private hospitals on the lines of Rajasthan and libraries in rural areas in his name.
