Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday that in the last nine years of his government, numerous efforts have been made towards revitalising and honouring India’s glorious heritage, which deepened the bond between the country’s youth and its culture.
In a tweet, Narendra Modi shared articles, graphics, videos and information about the efforts made towards revitalising and honouring India’s heritage with a comment: “We are proud of our rich and diverse culture.”
However, he said this heritage, the collective wealth of the Indian society, hadn’t received due priority under previous governments, neither in their policies, nor in their intentions. This is something that the prime minister sought to change, and he started to remedy it as soon as he took over the reins of the Government in 2014.
Under the PRASAD Scheme, efforts were made to rejuvenate pilgrimage destinations and places of faith. Swadesh Darshan scheme was approved for the development of 15 thematic circuits in the country in a planned and prioritized manner – such as the Buddhist Circuit, Krishna Circuit, Ramayana Circuit, Sufi Circuit, Tribal Circuit etc.
To showcase India’s rich cultural heritage, the government launched Bharat Gaurav Trains. As a result of these initiatives, pilgrimage to religious centres has become easier.
The prime minister has taken the lead in renovating India’s iconic ancient temples. Under his watch, many spiritual centres like Somnath, Mathura, Ayodhya and Ujjain, are regaining their lost glory. Special attention has been paid to the holy city of Varanasi, and the Kashi Vishwanath Temple.
In Ayodhya, Modi himself performed the bhoomi-pujan for the grand Ram Mandir and launched a rejuvenation project for the entire city. Multiple development projects are going on to enhance the pilgrimage experience for those visiting the Char Dham in Uttarakhand. After the abrogation of Article 370, the work of reviving Hindu temples in UT of Jammu & Kashmir has also started.
Modi has made huge efforts to promote and preserve the Buddhist culture and places associated with Lord Buddha. A Buddha Theme Park, where Lord Buddha taught his first sermon has been sanctioned at Sarnath. Kushinagar, the place of Lord Buddha’s Parinirvana has been placed on the global map with an International Airport and Expressway connectivity. In Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Gautama Buddha, an India International Centre for Buddhist Culture is being established.
The prime minister has been a proponent of honouring the cultural heritage of Sikh Gurus, be it the celebration of auspicious occasions like the 550th birth anniversary of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the 350th birth anniversary of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji, the construction of the Sri Kartarpur Sahib Corridor or making Jallianwala Bagh a national memorial.
He has done unprecedented work to celebrate and showcase India’s tribal culture. The National Tribal Festival ‘Aadi Mahotsav’ was launched to showcase tribal handicrafts, culture, traditions and food.
A searchable digital repository of tribal culture with more than 10,000 photographs, videos and publications has been set up online. Ten Tribal Freedom Fighters Museums have been sanctioned to acknowledge the heroic deeds of tribal people and exhibit the rich tribal cultural heritage of the region.
In the past nine years, 238 ancient artefacts, antiquities and relics stolen from India have been recovered and brought back. Compared to this, just 13 such items were recovered from Independence till 2014!
The prime minister’s leadership was pivotal in Yoga getting global recognition. Today, the world celebrates the International Day of Yoga annually on 21 June. Similarly, 2022 was declared as the International Year of Millets by the UN on India’s request to highlight their importance and potential against fighting malnutrition.
To honour the legacy of nation builders, Modi inaugurated the 182-metre statue of Sardar Patel on 31 October, 2018. Named as the Statue of Unity, the statue was constructed to honour the legacy of Patel, who united 500 plus princely states of India and integrated them in independent India.