English rendering of PM’s address at the Krishnaguru Eknaam Akhand Kirtan for World Peace
Jai Krishnaguru!
Jai Krishnaguru!
Jai Krishnaguru!
Jai Jayate Param Krishnaguru Ishwar!
My respectful obeisance to all the saints, sages and devotees gathered at Krishnaguru Sevashram. The Krishnaguru Eknaam Akhand Kirtan is going on for the last one month. I am happy that the ancient Indian traditions of knowledge, service and humanity propagated by Krishnaguru ji continue to grow even today. With the blessings and cooperation of Gurukrishna Premanand Prabhu ji and the efforts of the devotees of Krishnaguru, that divinity is clearly visible in this event. I wished that I could come to Assam and participate in this program with all of you! I made several attempts to come to the holy abode of Krishnaguru ji in the past. But perhaps there must be some failings in my efforts that I could not come there. I wish that Krishnaguru's blessings give me this opportunity to come there in the near future to bow down to all of you and meet you.
Friends,
Krishnaguru ji began the ritual of the month-long ‘Akhand Eknaam Jap’ every twelve years for world peace. There has been an ancient tradition of organizing such events every 12 years in our country. And the main theme of these events has been duty. These events used to rekindle a sense of duty in the individual and society. People from all over the country used to gather in these events and discuss and review the happenings of the last 12 years, evaluate the present and create a blueprint for the future. The tradition of Kumbh Mela every 12 years has also been a great example of this. In 2019 itself, the people of Assam successfully organized the Pushkaram ceremony in the Brahmaputra River. Now again this event will be held on the Brahmaputra River in the 12th year. The Mahamaham festival is also celebrated every 12 years in Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu. The ‘Mahamastakabhisheka’ of Lord Bahubali is also done only after 12 years. It is also a coincidence that the Neelakurinji flower that blooms on the hills of Nilgiri also grows every 12 years. Krishnaguru Eknaam Akhand Kirtan happening every 12 years is also creating such a powerful tradition. This ‘kirtan’ is introducing the world to the heritage of the North East and its spiritual consciousness. I offer all of you many best wishes for this event.
Friends,
Krishnaguru ji's exceptional talent, his spiritual understanding and extraordinary incidents related to him continue to inspire us all. He has taught us that no work or person is small or big. The nation has worked towards the betterment of its people with the same spirit of taking everyone along (Sabka Saath) for everyone’s development (Sabka Vikas) with absolute dedication in the last eight-nine years. Today, the first priority of the country is those who are lagging behind in the race of development. That is, the country is giving priority to those who are deprived. Be it Assam or our North East, it was neglected for decades when it comes to development and connectivity. Today the country is giving priority to the development of Assam and the North East. This year's budget has also demonstrated a strong glimpse of these efforts of the country and our future. Tourism plays a major role in the economy and progress of the North East. Special provisions have been made in this year’s budget to increase tourism related opportunities. Fifty tourist destinations in the country will be developed through a special campaign. Modern infrastructure will be created, virtual connectivity will be improved and tourist facilities will also be created in this regard. The North East and Assam will get huge benefits from these development initiatives. By the way, today I want to share important information with all the saints and scholars gathered in this event. All of you must have heard about Ganga Vilas Cruise. Ganga Vilas Cruise is the longest river cruise in the world. A large number of foreign tourists are also on board this cruise. Starting from Banaras to Patna, Buxar, Munger in Bihar and Kolkata in Bengal, this cruise has reached Bangladesh. It will reach Assam soon. The tourists are being familiarized with these places as well as the culture in detail through the rivers. The greatest importance of India's treasured cultural heritage lies on our river banks, because the development journey of our entire culture is linked to the river banks. I am sure Assamese culture and beauty will also reach the world in a new way through Ganga Vilas.
Friends,
Krishnaguru Sevashram also works for the welfare of people engaged in traditional crafts and skills through various organizations. In the last few years, the country has been engaged in the historic direction of connecting the traditional skills of the North East to the global market by giving them a new identity. Today people all over the country and the world are aware and welcome the art of Assam, the skills of the people of Assam and the local bamboo products. You will be aware that earlier there was a legal ban on cutting bamboo by putting it in the category of trees. We changed this law as it was the law enacted during the period of slavery. Placing bamboo in the grass category has opened all the way for traditional employment. Now special provision has been made in the budget for such traditional skill development by enhancing the quality and accessibility of these products. It has also been announced in this budget to develop ‘Ekta Mall’ (Unity Mall) in every state in order to give recognition to such products. That is, the products made by the farmers, artisans and the youth of Assam will have a special display in ‘Ekta Mall’ in a bid to boost their sale. Not only this, the products of Assam will also be displayed in ‘Ekta Mall’ that will be built in the state capitals and other important tourist sites. The products of Assam will also get a new market when tourists visit ‘Ekta Mall’ in other parts of the country.
Friends,
When it comes to the crafts of Assam, 'Gamosa’ occupies a special place. I myself love wearing 'Gamosa'. Behind every beautiful ‘Gamosa’ is the hard work of the women, our mothers and sisters of Assam. The attraction and demand for ‘Gamosa’ has increased in the country in the last eight-nine years. A large number of women self-help groups have been formed to meet this huge demand. Lakhs of women are getting employment in these groups. Now these groups will go ahead and become the strength of the country's economy. Special provisions have been made in this year's budget in this regard. The ‘Mahila Samman Saving Certificate’ scheme has also been launched to make the income of women a means of their empowerment. Women will especially get the benefit of higher interest on savings. Besides, the budget of the PM Awas Yojana has also been increased to 70,000 crore rupees, so that every poor family, who does not have a pucca house, can get a pucca house. These houses are mostly registered in the name of women. Women are the legal owners of these houses. There are several provisions in this budget which will widely benefit the women of North Eastern states like Assam, Nagaland, Tripura, Meghalaya, etc and new opportunities will be created for them.
Friends,
Krishnaguru used to say – Serve your soul with faith in daily devotional works. There is a lot of power in this mantra of serving the soul, serving the society and developing the society. I am glad that Krishnaguru Sevashram is working with this mantra in almost every dimension related to society. These services being run by you are becoming a great strength of the country. The government runs many schemes for the development of the country. But the lifeblood of the country's welfare schemes is the power of the society and people’s participation. We have seen how the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by the country became a huge success due to people’s participation. The biggest reason behind the success of the Digital India campaign is people’s participation. The role of Krishnaguru Sevashram is very important in taking forward many such schemes that empower the country. For example, Sevashram carries out a lot of social work for women and youth. You can also take the responsibility of taking forward the campaigns like ‘Beti-Bachao, Beti-Padhao’ and ‘Poshan’. Sevashram's motivation to connect more and more youth with campaigns like 'Khelo India' and 'Fit India' is very important. Your participation in the promotion of Yoga and Ayurveda will strengthen the social fabric.
Friends,
You are aware that artisans, who work by hand, with the help of any tool, are skilled people and are called Vishwakarma in our country. The country has now resolved to enhance the skills of these traditional artisans for the first time. The PM-Vishwakarma Kaushal Samman i.e. PM Vikas Yojana is being started for them and it has been described in detail in this year’s budget. Krishnaguru Sevashram can also benefit the Vishwakarma friends by increasing the awareness about this scheme.
Friends,
The entire world is also celebrating 2023 as Millet Year on the initiative of India. Millet means coarse grains. Millets have now been given a new identity in the form of Shri Anna. What it means is that Shri Anna is the best among all food grains. Krishnaguru Sevashram and all other religious organizations can play a big role in spreading the awareness regarding Shri Anna. I urge that the ‘prasad’ which is distributed in the ashram should be made from Shri Anna. Similarly, a campaign is going on to familiarize the history of our freedom fighters with the younger generation in the Amrit Mahotsav of Independence. In this direction, a lot can be done by Sevashram Prakashan about the revolutionaries of Assam and the North East. I am sure we will witness a more empowered India with these joint efforts of you and the country after 12 years when this Akhand Kirtan will happen. And with this wish, I greet all the saints, all the pious souls, and I wish you all the very best once again.
Thanks.
DISCLAIMER: This is the approximate translation of PM’s speech. Original speech was delivered in Hindi.
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DS/LP/VK/AK