PM Modi's speeches on culture complied in book

New Delhi | From his 2015 Independence Day address in Delhi to the one delivered at an eye hospital opening last year in Varanasi, a set of 34 speeches made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a wide range of cultural subjects has now been complied in a book.

Titled 'Sanskriti Ka Paanchva Adhyay', the curated collection lays emphasis on Modi's addresses on Indian culture, traditions, spiritual values and heritage delivered on various occasions in the past 10 years.

The book was released on Friday evening by Acharya Mahamandaleshwar Pujya Swami Avdheshanand Giri Maharaj, the head of the Juna Akhara, in the presence of Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh, at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) here.

The compilation contains 34 speeches, arranged chronologically, beginning with his 2015 Independence Day address delivered from the ramparts of the Red Fort in Delhi and the last in the series, being his speech at the inauguration of the R J Shankar Eye Hospital in Varanasi on October 2024.

These speeches cover a wide range of cultural contexts -- from sacred shrines like Kedarnath, Ram Janmabhoomi, Kashi Vishwanath Dham and Omkareshwar to occasions such as the launch of various editions of the 'Bhagavad Gita', Guru Nanak Jayanti, the Global Buddhist Conference, the birth anniversary of Acharya Vijay Vallabh Surishwar Maharaj and the World Sufi Conference, the IGNCA said.

The IGNCA is an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Culture.

"These speeches reflect a quest to identify the Indianness in various religious traditions. The appendix contains reflections by Acharya Shri Pragya Sagar Ji Maharaj and Shankaracharya Shri Shankar Vijayendra Saraswati Swami Ji of Kanchi Kamakoti. Both appear to affirm the cultural vision espoused by the prime minister," it said in a statement.

The Rajya Sabha deputy chairman in his address said the country is currently in 'Azadi ka Amrit Kaal' period.

"And the prime minster gave a resolve to make a 'Viksit Bharat' by the time we complete 100 years of our Independence. This dream of 'Viksit Bharat' was dreamt after 2014 and not dreamt before it," he added.

Rich material on taking pride on "our culture" is in this book, Harivansh said.

"After 2014, we have begun to speak about Indian culture and 'sanatan' values with pride, and that has been a big change. And, therefore, this book has greater significance," he said.

In his address, Harivansh referred to Ramdhari Singh Dinkar's seminal work 'Sanskriti ke Chaar Adhyay', whose foreword was written by then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

Member Secretary, IGNCA, Sachchidanand Joshi highlighted the significance of the prime minister's oft-repeated maxim of 'Virasat bhi, Vikas bhi' (heritage as well as development).

IGNCA Chairman Ram Bahadur Rai has written a foreword in the book that has been published by Prabhat Prakashan.

"If we are searching for the keyboard to the supercomputer of Indian culture, that quest begins and ends with this book. In this sense, this chapter is inspired by culture in the Modi era. It is also an invitation to a cultural journey," Rai writes in the foreword.