Ahead of Deepavali celebrations, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged Indians to promote the “Vocal for Local” campaign and buy indigenous products in order to achieve the dream of Aatmnirbhar Bharat, or a self-sufficient India.
During his monthly Mann Ki Baat address, Mr. Modi said that the ongoing Khadi Mahotsav had broken all its previous sales records. While sales had barely touched ₹30,000 crore in previous years, sales in this edition were about to reach ₹1.25 lakh crore, he said.
“Benefiting from these sales are our weavers, handicraft artisans, our farmers, cottage industries engaged in growing Ayurvedic plants,” the PM said, requesting his audience to buy products made by local artisans during their travels for tourism or pilgrimage. Asking them to illuminate their homes only with local products, he said that the “Vocal for Local” spirit should not be limited only to festival shopping, but also for all the necessities of life.
“Today, India is becoming the world’s biggest manufacturing hub. Many big brands are manufacturing their products here. If we adopt those products, then ‘Make In India’ gets a fillip... While buying such products, try to insist on the pride of our country, the UPI digital payment system,” he added.
Unity Day
The PM paid tributes to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, known as the Iron Man, whose birth anniversary falls on October 31. On the same day this year, the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav programme, a celebration to mark 75 years of Independence, is set to conclude after two and a half years. Soil collected from villages across the country will be brought to Delhi in pots via Amrit Kalash Yatras for use in developing a garden called Amrit Vatika.
On Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s birth anniversary, also celebrated as Unity Day, the Union government will also launch a nationwide organisation named Mera Yuva Bharat, to bring together young volunteers keen to participate in building a developed India. “October 31 is also the death anniversary of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. I also pay my heartfelt tribute to her,” Mr. Modi said.
Pointing out that literature was one of the best media to deepen the sentiment of the spirit of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat, which means that a united India is the best, Mr. Modi mentioned the Knit India project of famous Tamil writer Sivasankari. Over the past 16 years, she has translated literature written in 18 Indian languages. A.K. Perumal of Kanyakumari has also been preserving the story-telling tradition of Tamil Nadu for the past 40 years, and has also researched the State’s temple culture and leather puppets, he said.
Tribal heroes
On November 15, the country will celebrate Janjaatiya Gaurav Diwas, the birth anniversary of Bhagwan Birsa Munda, an Adivasi independence activist and folk hero, the PM noted. He also paid tributes to Govind Guruji, who is a revered figure among the tribal and deprived communities of Gujarat and Rajasthan, ahead of his death anniversary on October 30.
“In the month of November, we solemnly observe the anniversary of the Mangarh massacre. I salute all the children of Ma Bharati who were martyred in that massacre,” he said, also recounting the sacrifices made by tribal warriors like Tilka Manjhi, Sidhho-Kanhu, and Tantiya Bheel, apart from Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh, Veer RamJi Gond, Veer Gundadhur, Bheema Nayak, Alluri Sitaram Raju, Kiang Nobang, and Rani Gaidinliu.
He added: “It is from the tribal community that the country got women bravehearts like Raj Mohini Devi and Rani Kamlapati. The country is currently celebrating the 500th Birth Anniversary of Rani Durgavati Ji.”
Sports achievements
Mr. Modi congratulated Indian sportsmen and women for their achievements in the recent Asian Games, Para Asian Games, and the Special Olympics World Summer Games.
Appreciating the use of scrap to make sculptures of various yoga postures, now installed along a Gujarati pilgrimage route, he requested the State government to start a competition to encourage such art.
The Prime Minister also remembered Sant Mirabai, whose 525th birth anniversary is being celebrated this year. “She has been an inspiring force for people across the country for many reasons. If someone is interested in music, she is a great example of dedication towards music; if someone is a lover of poetry, Mirabai’s bhajans, immersed in devotion, give one an entirely different joy; if someone believes in divine power, Mirabai’s rapt absorption in Shri Krishna can become a great inspiration for that person. Mirabai considered Saint Ravidas as her guru,” he said.
