Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 10, 2023 inaugurated Dawoodi Bohra community’s Arabic Academy at Aljamea-tus-Saifiyah (The Saifee Academy) in Mumbai.
After the inauguration, Mr. Modi was walking around the campus with His Holiness Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, the 53rd al-Dai al-Mutlaq and present leader of the worldwide Dawoodi Bohra community, one of the influential communities in the country’s financial capital.
“I’m not here as Prime Minister, but as part of the family. Visiting you is like visiting my family. Please don’t refer to me as PM or CM. I’m your family member,” he said while addressing the community members.
“Our association goes a long way. Four generations of Syedna sahab’s family have blessed me, and he (His Holiness Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin) has fulfilled a 150-year-old dream by setting up this institute in Mumbai (outside Gujarat),” the Prime Minister said.
Hailing the contribution of the community to social welfare initiatives, Mr. Modi said that from fighting malnutrition to the cause of water in Gujarat their contribution is unforgettable.
“When I was Chief Minister of Gujarat, I worked closely with the community in fighting malnutrition and water crisis,” he said. He cited this as an example of the complementarity of society and government for causes ranging from tackling malnutrition and water scarcity.
The Prime Minister said every community, group or organisation is recognised by its ability to keep its relevance intact with changing times. “On the parameters of adapting to changing times and development, Dawoodi Bohra Community has proved itself. Institutions like Aljamea-tus-Saifiyah are a living example of this”, he said.
He also recollected the instance of Dr Syedna teaching at the age of 99 and talked about his close relations with the community in Gujarat.
“When I go somewhere not only in the country but also abroad, my Bohra brothers and sisters definitely come to meet me”, Mr. Modi said while highlighting the love and concern of the community for India.
He said the country is taking the resolutions of Amrit Kaal forward with reforms like the new National Education Policy, and highlighted the new opportunities being made available for modern education of women and girls.
He also recalled the times when India used to be a centre for education with institutes like Nalanda and Takshila which drew the attention of students from around the world.
“In the last eight years, a record number of universities have come up and medical colleges are being established in every district. As many as 145 medical colleges were established between 2004 and 2014 (During UPA government), whereas more than 260 medical colleges came into existence during the same period,” he said, adding that in the last eight years, one university and two colleges were opened every week.
Mr. Modi also underlined the importance of regional languages in the education system and said engineering and medical education can now be taken up in regional languages.
“Development and heritage are equally important for a country like India”, he said.
Further, the Prime Minister stated that the people of the Bohra community in foreign lands can act as brand ambassadors of India. “The community will continue to play an important role in reaching the goal of a developed India,” he said.
Earlier, His Holiness Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, spoke of the decades-old friendship and bond between Mr. Modi and his respected father Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin. “India has been our home for centuries, and we are at peace here,” he said.
Published - February 10, 2023 07:21 pm IST
