Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the first series of 11 volumes of 'Collected Works of Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya'. The ceremony was done on the occasion of the 162nd birth anniversary of Malaviya - the founder of Banaras Hindu University. Union Minister Anurag Thakur and Arjun Ram Meghwal were also among the dignitaries present at the event. The eleven volumes of this bilingual (English and Hindi) book, which spans over 4,000 pages, are a compilation of Malaviya's writings and speeches collected from across the country.
These volumes comprise:
- Malaviya's unpublished letters, articles, speeches and memorandums.
- The editorial content of the Hindi weekly "Abhyudaya," which he founded in 1907.
- Articles, pamphlets and booklets written by him from time to time.
- His speeches given in the Legislative Council of the United Provinces of Agra and Awadh between 1903 and 1910.
- Statements given before the Royal Commission.
- Speeches given by him during the presentation of bills in the Imperial Legislative Council between 1910 and 1920.
Mahamana Malaviya Mission's contribution to book
There are also letters, articles and speeches written before and after the establishment of Banaras Hindu University; and a diary written by him between 1923 and 1925.
The work of researching and compiling the documents written and spoken by Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya was undertaken by the Mahamana Malaviya Mission, an institution devoted to propagating the ideals and values of Mahamana Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya.
A dedicated team of the Mission, led by eminent journalist Shri Ram Bahadur Rai, has worked on Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya's original literature without altering the language and text. The publication of these books has been done by the Publications Division under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
PM Modi addresses event
Addressing the event after the book release, PM Modi said that today is like a festival of inspiration for people who believe in India and Indianness. Today is the birth anniversary of Mahamana Mandan Mohan Malaviya and also the birth anniversary of Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
"I consider it a privilege of our government that we gave him Bharat Ratna. For me, Mahamana ji is very special for another reason: like him, God has given me an opportunity to serve Kashi. I am also fortunate that when I filed my nomination to contest the elections in 2014, its proponents were members of Malviya ji's family," he added.
The Prime Minister also said that a personality like Mahamana was born once in a century and was also the greatest scholar of his time. "A personality like Mahamana is born once in a century! Mahamana was the greatest scholar of his time! He was a confluence of modern thinking and Sanatan values! It's a matter of big fortune and pride for my government that it bestowed Mahamana with the Bharat Ratna", he added.
(With inputs from PTI)
