‘India introduced non-violence to the world but…': At Jain seer's centenary celebrations, PM Modi takes jibe at Pakistan
In a veiled warning to Pakistan, without naming the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday that India had introduced the world to the power of non-violence, but would not allow anybody to meddle with it.
PM Modi was speaking at the centenary celebrations of Jain spiritual leader Acharya Vidyanand Ji Maharaj in New Delhi.
'Jo humein chhedega (Those who tease us),' he said, leaving the sentence incomplete amid applause from the crowd. He then continued, 'Even if you did not say it in words, you were perhaps conveying your blessings for Operation Sindoor.' Operation Sindoor was India's military response to the Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 civilian lives, believed to have been carried out by Pakistan-backed Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives.
PM Modi asserted that India is a country where service and humanity are central to its ethos. 'When for ages, efforts were being made to quell violence with violence, then India introduced to the world the power of ahimsa (non-violence),' he said.
'India is the oldest living civilisation in the world. We are immortal for thousands of years, because our thoughts are immortal, our thinking is immortal, our philosophy is immortal,' he said at the event organised by the Ministry of Culture to mark the year-long centenary celebrations of Jain seer Acharya Vidyanand Ji Maharaj.
The source of this philosophy is 'our saints, seers, mahants and acharyas', PM Modi said about the spiritual leader who was instrumental in the restoration and revival of ancient Jain temples across India and worked for education, especially in Prakrit, Jain philosophy, and classical languages.
PM Modi asserted that his ideas have inspired the government's welfare schemes. 'Whether it is PM Awas Yojana, Jal Jivan Mission, Ayushman Bharat Yojana, and other such welfare schemes, they signify the sense of service towards the last person in the social hierarchy,' he said.
He also underlined that through his literature and music, he had endeavoured to revive the ancient Prakrit language. 'Because of those who neglected their own culture, this language was going out of vogue,' PM Modi said in a reference to the previous governments. 'We took efforts…and last year in October, our government accorded it (Prakrit) the status of a classical language,' he added.
'In our mission to digitise ancient manuscripts, a large section of it includes religious texts related to Jainism and manuscripts associated with acharyas. We want to go ahead on this subject,' he said, adding that mother tongues are being promoted in higher education as well. He also emphasised that his government has vowed to rid the country of the 'slavery mindset'.
Divya A reports on travel, tourism, culture and social issues - not necessarily in that order - for The Indian Express. She's been a journalist for over a decade now, working with Khaleej Times and The Times of India, before settling down at Express. Besides writing/ editing news reports, she indulges her pen to write short stories. As Sanskriti Prabha Dutt Fellow for Excellence in Journalism, she is researching on the lives of the children of sex workers in India. ... Read More
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
32 minutes ago
- Indian Express
‘Have started to focus on specific issues rather than on parties as institutions': Tharoor
Have started focusing on specific issues and outcomes rather than on parties as institutions, said Congress MP Shashi Tharoor while refusing to comment on the issues going on within the party regarding his stance on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Tharoor, who was in Ahmedabad, made these remarks on the sidelines of an event at the Ahmedabad Management Association (AMA) on Saturday. Tharoor, who recently led an all-party delegation on Operation Sindoor against Pakistan and has faced cryptic reactions from his party leaders for his praise of the PM, told ANI: 'I am not going to get into political issues here. If there are issues to discuss, they would be discussed privately, and when the time comes, I shall do so.' In a conversation on 'Diction, discretion and diplomacy' at AMA, Tharoor said that he had started to focus on specific issues and outcomes 'rather than on parties as institutions or structures of election winning'. In a session with AMA's Programme Committee Chairman Jainil Shah, Tharoor said, 'The only reason to be in politics is to have a vision of a better society, a better country and a better future for your land; Otherwise why bother?… I have begun, in my own ways as a politician, to focus on specific issues and outcomes rather than on parties as institutions or structures of election winning and so on; I've fought and won four elections… I'm proud to say but at the same time, that can't be the only purpose'. Talking about his recent visit in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor, Tharoor said:'In other places, we actually were able to get some very high-placed people to say not only that they respected and supported India's right of self-defence, but they actually commended the restrained manner of our response, that we could have been much worse…So I would say that, by and large, they were all very understanding.' 'But I would usually end by conveying that they should not be surprised that if this (terrorist attack) happens again, we too would do this again… And I believe we left everybody in no doubt about our feelings and our intentions,' he added. Speaking about the Emergency imposed by the erstwhile Congress government 50 years ago, Tharoor said that it made him change the decision on taking the UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) exams for a job in the foreign services. He said that when the Emergency was declared, he was in Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy studying International Affairs on a scholarship in 1975. Tharoor said that he had a roommate who worked as a journalist and continued to 'moonlight' as one and would bring 'reams of telex stories' on the happenings in India. 'It was deeply shaking and chastening to watch what was happening in India …I felt that somehow I really couldn't imagine I could serve a government that could do this to our people and to our democracy,' the MP said. Recalling his first connection with Gujarat, he shared details about how both of his sisters were chosen as the Amul baby for the dairy co-operative's advertisement campaign in the 1960s. With PTI inputs
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Spymaster behind Op Sindoor is RAW chief
NEW DELHI: Seasoned IPS officer Parag Jain, a specialist on Pakistan and China, was appointed to lead the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), on the back of his pivotal role in the collection of crucial intelligence which shaped the precise execution of Operation Sindoor . The Centre issued an order Saturday in this regard after the Cabinet approved Jain's appointment, ushering in a new tech-focused era for India's external intelligence agency. He will have a two-year tenure after taking over on July 1. A 1989-batch Punjab cadre IPS officer, Jain succeeds Ravi Sinha, who retires June 30. Jain, currently heading the Aviation Research Centre (ARC) in the agency, is known within the agency as 'a man who listens' and 'who gets things done,' people who know him closely said. 'He is a field-tested man who has sharp thinking and operates in silence without much hullabaloo,' said an officer. Jain was the field commissioner in the cabinet secretariat (official name for RAW) and posted in Jammu during the air strikes in Balakot and abrogation of Article 370. His key stints were in Nepal, Canada, where his team tracked Khalistani outfits and their members, and in Sri Lanka during its economic crisis. 'In his new role, he will prioritise leveraging technology for advanced intelligence collection, monitoring diaspora communities, and developing strategies to counter hybrid warfare tactics, particularly in response to the escalating threats of disinformation warfare posed by China and Pakistan,' a govt officer said. With experience in leading the Pakistan and Canada desks, Jain has been an asset for the agency for the last 14 years, spearheading many technical-and-human-intelligence-based operations, sources said. As chief of ARC in the cabinet secretariat, Jain is credited with the introduction of new technology in unmanned surveillance using drones, besides aerial monitoring to support special operations. While Jain has his task cut out as the head of the agency, China and Pakistan post-Op Sindoor are being considered his key focus areas. His appointment is also being seen as a strong message to Canada. Jain found himself in Canada's crosshairs following the assassination of terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Prior to joining RAW, Jain had a distinguished policing career in Punjab, serving in prominent positions such as senior superintendent of police in Chandigarh, deputy inspector general of Ludhiana Range, and SP of Patiala, Mansa, and Bhatinda districts.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Breaking news live: US Supreme Court backs Texas law to block kids from porn sites
01:07 (IST) Jun 29 At least three people were killed in Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon on Saturday, in a fresh escalation despite a ceasefire technically in place. The Lebanese health ministry said the attack targeted a car in the town of Kunin. According to the ministry, one man was killed in the drone strike by the "Israeli enemy", with a second person wounded. Later reports confirmed that three people were killed in total. The Israeli military confirmed the strike and claimed responsibility, saying it had "eliminated the terrorist Hassan Muhammad Hammoudi," who they alleged was involved in launching anti-tank missile attacks on Israeli territory during recent hostilities. The attack has prompted fresh warnings from Hezbollah, the Iran-backed group, which suggested its patience was wearing thin over what it described as continued Israeli aggression despite the truce.
