Governor P. Sathasivam has said that ‘many people and groups are trying in vain to confine’ Sree Narayana Guru within the boundaries of religion or caste.
Inaugurating the celebrations to mark centenary of Sree Narayana Guru’s declaration “We have no caste” at the Sree Narayana Gurukulam at Chempazhanthy here on Wednesday, Mr. Sathasivam said the Guru “may have foreseen such attempts in his life time itself”.
Fitting reply
The proclamation, he said, was perhaps a bold and fitting reply to such attempts. More than that, it was an illustration of the formation of a casteless society, which the Guru had always dreamt of, the Governor said.
“As researchers delve deep into the texts of his literary works, they are confronted with newer insights. I feel that the proclamation was a message of unity to the world; a message to break the chains of communal bondage and discrimination to unite for common just causes. It was also a message to make oneself ready in the mind, to seek higher knowledge and to equip oneself to translate the knowledge, skills and education into innovation for social good,” he said. The Guru’s declaration, he pointed out, was a bold message, much ahead of the historical period in which he had lived.
“This significant proclamation was an assertion of his real status on caste and religion, which had always fragmented society. Today, a century later, this declaration gains greater relevance as our fight against the divisive communal forces is still continuing,” Mr. Sathasivam said.
Power Minister Kadakampally Surendran, Local Self-Government Minister Minister K.T. Jaleel, K. Muraleedharan, MLA, and Swami Subhangananda also addressed the gathering.
