FESTIVALS UNITE COMMUNITIES IN MODI’S VISION

The narrators highlight PM Modi’s extensive knowledge of various communities and religions, emphasizing his profound respect for Maharishi Valmiki. His vision of festivals as a means of promoting community unity is well acknowledged. Dussehra, in particular, serves as a reminder of how the PM has consistently leveraged festivals to strengthen bonds.

Narendra Modi’s landmark initiatives have helped uplift Valmiki community

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has great knowledge about all communities and religions and he has shown deep reverence towards Maharishi Valmiki, working tirelessly for the uplift of the Valmiki community right from the beginning of his active political career. PM Modi has always had deep respect for Maharishi Valmiki, which is why he named the Ayodhya airport as Maharishi Valmiki International Airport. The groundbreaking ceremony for the Ram temple has been a true tribute to Maharishi Valmiki. During the construction of the Ram temple, PM Modi specifically suggested including a temple dedicated to Maharishi Valmiki within the premises. Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised social harmony in Lord Ram’s life and suggested creating an appropriate place for Maharishi Valmiki within the temple complex. He said it is for Maharshi Valmiki that the life of Lord Ram came before the people and hence the Maharshi must find place in the temple dedicated to Lord Ram. This insight was first mooted by the PM before the temple trust. PM Modi has consistently shown deep concern for the uplift of the Valmiki community and during his tenure as an RSS pracharak, he worked tirelessly for the community’s betterment so that they could be more mainstreamed and got their share of rights and respect.

As an RSS pracharak, he encouraged the organisation workers to engage with the Valmiki communities, work for their development, and assist in their social progress. Narendra Modi in those days used to say that the mission started by the Sangh in 1925 to unite society cannot be fully accomplished until we ensure equal participation of Valmiki communities. Prime Minister Modi still believes that the progress of the country depends on the equal contribution of all communities. This is why in 2014, he chose the Valmiki Temple on Panchkuian Road in Delhi to launch the landmark Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. This programme boosted the self-esteem of sanitation workers, whom PM Modi addressed as ‘Swachhagrahis’.

On October 2, 2014, PM Modi visited the Valmiki Temple on Panchkuian Road in Delhi to launch the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India Campaign) on the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday. Modi himself cleaned and sent a message to 140 crore people that cleanliness is not only the responsibility of the Valmiki community, but of the entire country. He was seen praying to Maharshi Valmiki in deep devotion and then he also talked to the members of the community to understand their problems and issues of the community.

PM Modi has taken strong steps to end the practice of manual scavenging in India and has always emphasised dignity of sanitation workers. During the 2019 Kumbh Mela, he washed feet of sanitation workers and addressed them as ‘karm yogis’. The plight of poor & marginalised always moves Modi ji, no matter what capacity he is in.

As the CM of Gujarat, he established the Safai Kamgar Vikas Nigam and took several concrete steps for the welfare of the Valmiki community. During a session for cleanliness workers in Ahmedabad, Modi famously said, “Those who clean this city are not just sanitation workers, they are the city’s priests.” Whether as BJP’s organisational minister in Gujarat or as party in-charge for different states, Modi has always ensured that members of the Valmiki community are given party tickets to contest elections and are appropriately represented in the party organisation. Revoking Article 370 was another important step that brought the Valmiki community in Jammu and Kashmir into the mainstream. In 2019, Modi also donated Rs 21 lakh from his savings to Safai Karmachari Kalyan Nigam Fund.

The Modi government has focused on the social and economic development of the Valmiki community through various initiatives, especially in education, employment, and social justice - a mission that he started during his campaigning days and continues even today.

Modi’s knack for making festivals tools of nat’l unity - Gopal Bhatt, RSS Karyakarta, Gujarat

Narendra Modi’s vision of festivals as a pathway to community unity is widely recognized. Dussehra is one such occasion that reminds us how the PM has long used festivals to foster community unity. Since his early days as an RSS pracharak, he encouraged karyakartas and communities to observe festivals not just as domestic celebrations but as mass movements that unite society. He urged us to organise Dussehra as a community festival. He motivated us to celebrate Dussehra by bringing people together, giving importance to Jan Bhagidari and not limiting it privately to homes. He even suggested covering the expenses through crowdfunding and donations to ensure larger community participation. What began in Dhanduka as a small idea blossomed into a vibrant festival, with residents contributing whatever they could, often as little as a few coins. In 1984, during communal tensions in Prantij of Gujarat, recognising the need for unity, Narendra Modi organised a grand Janmashtami celebration—something the region had never seen before. He showed to the karyakartas the power of festivals in acting as a deterrent to communal tensions and violence. In 1985, when the government attempted to stop the annual Jagannath Rath Yatra in Ahmedabad, he mobilised community unity, overcoming political resistance and successfully held the yatra. The same spirit of collective unity has always been evident in Narendra Modi’s perspective — whether as Chief Minister of Gujarat, when he made Navratri a hallmark of the state’s cultural calendar and a symbol of community togetherness, or when he encouraged the entire nation to light lamps on the occasion of Ram Mandir Pratistha, turning it into a national movement.

COMPILED AND EDITED BY SHASHIKANT SHARMA