Haridwar (The Hawk): The Veda Vijyana Sanskriti Mahakumbh conference was inaugurated at the Dayanand Stadium in Gurukul Kangri Deemed to be University. The Vice-President of India, Mr Jagdeep Dhankhad was the chief guest of the three day Mahakumbh and international conference. Mr Dhankhad inaugurated the Mahakumbh and conference. In his inaugural speech, Mr Dhankhad stated that the Vedas are the foundation of India’s cultural ethos and it is imperative for spreading the knowledge of Vedas amongst the people of the country. He further said that Gurukul Kangri could play an important role in spreading Vedic values in the country. Mr Dhankhad pointed out that there were several anti-national elements which were active in the country and therefore the activities of such groups have to curtailed. Mr Dhankhad highlighted the fact that Gurukul Kangri has been a centre of Vedic knowledge and philosophy, thus this conference will help in furthering the aforementioned reputation of the university amongst other institutions of higher education in the country.
The governor of Uttarakhand, Lt Gen (retd) Gurmit Singh who was the special guest of the Veda Vijyana Mahakumbh, said that the Vedas provide us with sacred values which can act as a guiding light to the youth of the country. Furthermore, he stated that Vedic knowledge plays an important role in character building. Therefore, he emphasised, that Vedic knowledge needs to be amalgamated with scientific and technical knowledge so that it can be taught to the youth of the country. The governor also stated that the saints, soldiers and teachers have made invaluable contribution to the development of the nation.
Mr Pushkar Singh Dhami, Chief Minister of Uttarakhand was the special guest of the Veda Vijyana Mahakumbh. He said that Gurukul Kangri is an integral part of the national heritage of the nation. According to Mr Dhami, there have been several graduates of the university who have contributed immensely to the nationalist cause of the country. Mr Dhami also stated that in order for India to become ‘Vishwa Guru’, it will have to go back to the Vedas. He further stated that the Mahakumbh will play an important role in spreading the knowledge of Vedas amongst the people of India. He encouraged the students present in the inaugural ceremony, to work towards strengthening and spreading India’s rich culture.
The Chief Patron of the Veda Vijyana Sanskriti Mahakumbh and Member of Parliament from Baghpat, Dr. Satyapal Singh said that Swami Sharaddhanand fought for Swaraj and India’s culture. He highlighted the fact that it was Gurukul Kangri which started the concept of teaching scientific subjects in Hindi. Dr Satyapal Singh also said that it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi who decided that the 200th birth anniversary of Swami Dayanand should be celebrated across the country. Hence, the country was indebted to the Prime Minister for taking this decision. Dr Singh further said that Gurukul Kangri is a site of pilgrimage since it played an invaluable role in the freedom struggle of the country. Dr Singh said that we should also be indebted to Swami Shraddhanand who took various steps towards strengthening women empowerment in the country.
During the inaugural ceremony, the Vice Chancellor of Gurukul Kangri, Prof. Somdev Satanshu honoured the Vice President by reciting the invitation letter, presented to Mr Dhankhad, in Sanskrit. Prof Satanshu also presented the dignitaries an insignia in the form of a shell and a bouquet.
Dr Ajay Malik was the Master of Ceremony.
Other senior officials present in the inaugural ceremony were, Dr Sunil Kumar, Registrar Gurukul Kangri Deemed to be University, Prof Prabhat Kumar, Chief Organiser of the inaugural ceremony, Prof Devendra Gupta, Finance Officer, Gurukul Kangri, Prof D.S. Malik, Prof L.P. Purohit, Dr Gagan Matta, Prof Dinesh Shastri, Vice Chancellor, Uttarakhand Sanskrit University, Prof Ishwar Bharadwaj, Dr Himanshu Pandit, Dr Ajit Tomar, Dr Varoon Bakshi, Dr Pankaj Kaushik, Mr Kulbhushan Sharma, Mr Hemant Negi and several important saints and politicians of the city.
