SWAMI SAHAJANAND SARASWATI LECTURE SERIES AND FELICITATION CEREMONY

SWAMI SAHAJANAND SARASWATI LECTURE SERIES AND FELICITATION CEREMONY

6-JULY-ENG 2

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

PATNA-----------------------Prime Minister Narendra Modi is working to realize the dreams of Swami Sahajanand Saraswati by striving to provide farmers with the 'Samman Nidhi' (honorarium/financial support) and their full due rights. Swami-ji made farmers aware of their entitlements, inspired them to fight for their rights, raised their consciousness, and showed them the path of struggle against injustice. The welfare of the poor, laborers, and farmers lay at the very core of his life.

-- Dr. Pramod Chandravanshi, Minister of Mines & Geology and Art, Culture & Youth Affairs, made these remarks while inaugurating the lecture series and felicitation ceremony. The event was organized under the aegis of the Educational Research and Development Institute at the local B.I.A. Auditorium in Patna on June 26, marking the death anniversary of Swami Sahajanand Saraswati—a pioneer of social and religious movements. The ceremony was presided over by the renowned surgeon Dr. Sahajanand Prasad Singh.

Chief Guest Er. Sariyadanand Rai stated in his address that Swami Sahajanand Saraswati was a messiah for Dalits—a fact acknowledged by the national poet Dinkar after Swami-ji's passing. Rising above caste and language, Swami-ji fought for the cause of poor farmers and laborers. He waged a relentless battle to abolish the Zamindari system and to secure the development and legitimate rights of farmers.

Speaking as a special guest, Vishal Singh, Chairman of BISCOMAUN, remarked that Swami Sahajanand Saraswati was a leader on par with Marx and Gandhi; through his struggles, he worked to secure dignity in society for farmers, the poor, and laborers. Swami-ji’s struggles earned global recognition for farmers. The NDA government, under the leadership of Samrat Chaudhary, remains ever-committed to safeguarding the interests of farmers.

All India Radio News Analyst Dr. Sanjay Kumar stated that when the farmers of this country rise up to assert themselves, Swami Sahajanand will be the guiding force behind their consciousness. He noted that when Gandhiji arrived, he declared that the liberation of the farmer was more important than self-liberation; yet, even today, the farmer remains in the same plight. Swami Ji had proclaimed that the farmer is the true God—residing in humble huts made of coarse sacking. He liberated the farmers from the oppressive Permanent Settlement system.

Guest of Honour Ashriti Sharma, a member of the BJP State Executive Committee, remarked that Swami Ji’s sacrifice for farmers and laborers was unparalleled. He used to travel across India, fearlessly carrying a *lathi* (staff). Historical information about him will now be available in the Class 9 curriculum, as well as on platforms like Google and AI. Even Leftist parties are observing Swami Sahajanand’s death anniversary. A six-foot-tall marble statue of Swami Sahajanand, imported from Vietnam, will be installed, and a library dedicated to him will also be established.

Dr. Vinod Sharma, President of the Educational Research and Development Institute and the Organizing Committee, welcomed the guests. The proceedings were moderated by Janardan Sharma 'Yogi' and Bhanupratap Singh. A vote of thanks was proposed by High Court Senior Advocate Kaushalendra Narayan. Addresses were also delivered by Secretary Lalit Singh, educationist P.N. Thakur, advocate Tarkeshwar Thakur, Naresh Mahto, Ashok Pathak, Sunil Sinha, Ajay Sharma, Rajaram Singh, Nityanand Sharma, Vimal Sharma, and Gudiya Tiwari.

On this occasion, 51 distinguished individuals were honored with the 'Bihar Gaurav Samman' for their significant contributions to the state's development in their respective fields. Honorees included Jang Bahadur Singh (former Head of the Hindi Department, Ranchi University) for literature; Dr. Bindeshwar Prasad Gupta (senior litterateur and journalist) for journalism; as well as various intellectuals, journalists, photographers, athletes (including Kabaddi and Tennis players), and talented students. The auditorium was packed to capacity with distinguished citizens—including politicians, professors, artists, litterateurs, journalists, and sportspersons—who had gathered for the occasion.

It goes without saying that the 'Swami Sahajanand Saraswati Lecture Series and Award Ceremony,' organized by the Educational Research and Development Institute, was a resounding success. While it served to honor Swami Sahajanand Saraswati through a heartfelt tribute, it also effectively conveyed a meaningful and exemplary message by inspiring the younger generation of students and intellectuals to draw inspiration from his life story.