Haridwar: Chief Minister Shri Pushkar Singh Dhami and Union Minister of Culture and Tourism Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat participated in the ‘Dhwaj Vandan Ceremony’ program organized by Dev Sanskriti University in Haridwar.
On this occasion, Chief Minister Shri Pushkar Singh Dhami said that this centenary celebration is a direct and emotional expression of the nation’s gratitude towards the ascetic life, selfless service, and unwavering devotion of the revered Mata Bhagwati Devi Sharma. Mataji’s entire life is a beacon of sacrifice, dedication, and spiritual practice that has given the right direction and a new perspective to countless lives. He said that the Gayatri Parivar cannot be confined within the boundaries of any one organization; it is a flow of that era’s consciousness that leads from the upliftment of the individual to society and from society to the nation.
Recalling the spiritual consciousness of Devbhoomi Uttarakhand, the Chief Minister said that pilgrimage sites like Gangotri, Yamunotri, Kedarnath, Badrinath, and Adi Kailash are the heartbeat of India’s soul. This centenary celebration, organized in such a sacred environment, gives the message of a renaissance of Indian culture, values, and spiritual traditions.
The Chief Minister said that the state government is continuously working to preserve the original form of Devbhoomi Uttarakhand. He said that a Uniform Civil Code has been implemented in the state. A strict anti-riot law and an anti-conversion law have also been introduced. The Chief Minister said that more than 10,000 acres of illegal encroachment have been removed in the state.
Union Minister of Culture and Tourism Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said that this centenary celebration, a confluence of service, spiritual practice, and values, will prove to be a milestone in the creation of a new era. The great civilizations of the world have been built only through collective character building. Only when individuals in society make moral values, discipline, and a spirit of service the foundation of their lives, can a strong culture and lasting civilization be built. The centenary celebration is an important effort to awaken this collective consciousness. Dr. Chinmay Pandya, the leader of the centenary celebrations and Vice-Chancellor of Dev Sanskriti University, said that this ceremony is not an event held in a secluded place of asceticism, but rather it is the “Lost and Found Department” of the revered Acharya Shri, where individuals rediscover themselves and their responsibilities. He said that this good fortune is not waiting at anyone’s doorstep, but this event itself provides an opportunity to open the door to your own good fortune. Giving a message of social transformation, he said, “By the oath of the Ganges, by the oath of the Yamuna, this fabric of society will change. Let some of us change, let some of you change, only then will this era change.” He told the gathering that self-transformation is the first condition for social change, and that only when an individual has the courage to change themselves does the foundation for the reconstruction of the nation and society become strong. The objective of the centenary celebrations is also to awaken this consciousness so that positive changes are possible at the level of thought, conduct, and action.
On the occasion of the centenary celebrations, Tourism Minister Shri Satpal Maharaj, Minister of State Vinay Ruhela, Managing Director of Sudarshan News Suresh Chavan, former ED Director Rajeshwar Singh, and many other distinguished guests expressed their views.
During the program, Dr. Chinmay Pandya, along with other distinguished guests, honored Justice Parvinder Singh, Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, Swami Sampurnanand Ji, Swami Velu Bapu Ji, K. Narayan Rao, Ramesh Bhatt, Dinesh Kandpal, Acharya Dr. Dayashankar Vidyalankar, and others by presenting them with the symbol of Shantikunj, a Ganga water vessel, a Rudraksha rosary, and spiritual literature.
When the centenary flag was hoisted on the land of Vairagi Island in Kankhal, the city of King Daksha, it was as if an era had bowed to its glorious past and taken a new resolve. The centenary celebrations of the founder of the Gayatri Family, Vandaniya Mata Bhagwati Devi Sharma Ji, and the Akhand Deepak, organized under the auspices of the All World Gayatri Family, Shantikunj, began with a flag hoisting ceremony in a reverent atmosphere. This event will continue until January 23rd. The program was attended by MLA Haridwar Shri Madan Kaushik, office bearers Shri Shyamveer Saini, Shri Deshraj Karnwal, Shobharam Prajapati, District President BJP Ashutosh Sharma, former MLA Sanjay Gupta, and others.
