Vice President and Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar addressed the foundation stone laying ceremony of the Nandlal Nuwal Centre of Indology at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in New Delhi.
“There can be many caveats, but I take his sentiments as blessings. These will motivate me, inspire me to engage in my activity, keeping the nation and its culture always in mind,” the Vice President said.
“The richness of Indian knowledge lies in its interconnectedness. We are not a country in isolation. We take the whole world as one,” he added.
“Esteemed guests, I never thought in my life I will be so honoured to lay the foundation stone of an institution connected with Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan and that would be with respect to Indology. Nandlal Nawal Centre for Indology, This will take us a long way,” he added.
“It is a befitting occasion and this has already been awaited by Purohitji. To pay our tributes to Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan and its visionary founder, Dr. K. M. Munshi. In preserving, and promoting Indian culture and knowledge systems. It was not easy, people were carried away by Western ideas. Foreign education was synonymous with wisdom and knowledge, we had mistaken souls around. In that environment, he visualised a thought process which now has blossomed into an institution of international prominence,” the Vice President further said.
He said that in 1938, imagine the contemporary scenario then; there were headwinds and difficult terrain and the initiative was taken. “Truly, as visualised by the great man and his colleagues, the institution has been a pioneering institution and a beacon in the field of education, culture, and arts. Dr. Munshiji, as a statesman, writer, and freedom fighter, dedicated himself to reviving India’s unparalleled heritage and culture. Somnath is one instance,” the Vice President added.
He uniquely merged Indic traditions with modernity, defending heritage while others in governance favoured Western ideologies. I am sure the Indian Prime Minister must have got a taste of the commitment of Dr Munshiji when his thought process was grounded by the presence of the then-first president of India, Rajendra Prasad, at Somnath Temple.
“Bharati Vidyabhavan’s efforts in promoting classical languages, publishing ancient texts, and fostering a sense of unity in India’s heritage have been seminally instrumental in nurturing the spirit of Indology and keeping it alive,” he added.
“We will have to rededicate ourselves with vigour, fervour, passion and mission to ensure that the sublime principles of Indology take us to the goal of ViksitBharat in 2047,” Dhankhar added. (ANI)
