Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his historic address given on the occasion of ‘Somnath Swabhiman Parv’, drew a timeless picture of India’s cultural spirit and unwavering faith. As Chairman of the Somnath Temple Trust, the Prime Minister not only glorified Mahadev but also held up a mirror to the forces that tried to destroy India’s pride and hide the wounds of the invaders.
Starting the address, the Prime Minister described the divine scene of the present. He said, “This time is wonderful, this atmosphere is wonderful, this festival is wonderful. On one hand, Mahadev himself, on the other hand, the huge waves of the sea, the rays of the sun, this echo of mantras, this surge of faith and the presence of the devotees of Lord Somnath in this divine atmosphere is making this occasion grand.”
He considered it his good fortune that he has got the opportunity to serve actively in this self-respect festival.
PM Modi raised a serious question while looking through the window of history. He said, “When I am talking to you today, the question coming to my mind again and again is, what would have been the atmosphere at this very place, exactly 1000 years ago? Our ancestors sacrificed everything for their faith.”
Attacking the arrogance of the invaders, he said that 1000 years ago the invaders were thinking that they had conquered us, but today the fluttering flag of Somnath is telling the whole world what is the power of India. The PM clarified that “the history of Somnath is not of destruction and defeat, but of victory and reconstruction.”
Referring to the period from Mahmud Ghazni to Aurangzeb, the Prime Minister said that invaders kept coming, but Somnath kept getting re-established in every era.
He said, “Those religious fundamentalists could not understand that the name of Somnath, which they want to destroy, has ‘Soma’ i.e. ‘Amrit’ embedded in it. On top of that, there is the living power of Sadashiv Mahadev which is both beneficial and also a source of power.”
Giving the example of the cycle of time, the Prime Minister said that those who wanted to demolish Somnath have today remained confined to some anonymous pages of history, while the temple still stands firm holding the flag of the skyscraper.
The most pointed part of the Prime Minister’s speech was the one where he raised questions on post-independence politics and historians. He said that after independence, people with ‘slavery mentality’ tried to distance themselves from these holy places.
PM Modi said attempts were made by some politicians and historians to ‘whitewash’ the bloody history of the invasion. He said, “When Sardar Patel took the oath of reconstruction, he was stopped. Even the arrival of Dr. Rajendra Prasad in 1951 was objected to.”
PM Modi warned the country that the forces which were against the reconstruction of Somnath are still active. He said, “Today, instead of using swords, conspiracies are being hatched against India in other dirty ways. Therefore, we have to be more careful.”
He called that a person honest towards any religion will not support fundamentalist thinking, but the contractors of appeasement have always succumbed to such thinking.
The Prime Minister’s message throughout his address was clear that we have to become powerful and remain united. This land of Somnath is a witness to bravery and courage, and this festival is proof that India’s patience and power to create is incomparable in the history of the world.