New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said the unimpeachable integrity upheld by freedom fighters like Madan Mohan Malviya serves as a model for us at a time when cynicism prevails in the country.
Speaking at a programme here to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Malviya, Singh said the government has formed a National Implementation Committee to hold commemorative events in the coming months to celebrate the occasion. "Despite the cynicism that prevails today around us, I believe that in the heart of each one of us there is a yearning for decency, for goodness and respect for fundamental human values. These are the same values that we associate with the founding fathers of our republic," Singh said. He maintained that Malviya`s era was one where a group of like minded individuals, "who were men and women of unimpeachable integrity and intellectual giants in their own rights", provided moral, intellectual and political leadership of a rare quality to the country.
"They were widely loved and respected and their politics was infused with a high degree of idealism, selfless service and the hope of building a new and modern India unshackled from colonial subjugation," Singh said. The ministry of culture is taking several initiatives to celebrate the 150th birth anniversary of Malviya who founded the Banaras Hindu University. Singh said the government had received many constructive suggestions at the first meeting of the National Committee headed by him and some of them will be implemented.
"I am particularly glad to learn that special efforts are being made to translate the biography and literary works of Malaviyaji in different Indian languages. A series of countrywide seminars, lectures and exhibitions will be organised for spreading his message to the people at large," Singh said. A Centre for Malaviya studies will be set up at the Banaras Hindu University, where a digital collection of Malaviya`s writings will be compiled for the first time. The government also plans to establish chairs, scholarships and education related awards in his memory. PTI