‘Bharat Mata ki jai’ chants rent the air at LU
PM’S SPEECH LIVE No better place for creativity than university campuses, says Modi
LUCKNOW: The Malviya Hall of Lucknow University on Monday reverberated with ‘Bharat Mata ki jai’ and ‘Vande Mataram’ chants by students and teachers during the live screening of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to mark the 125th anniversary of Swami Vivekananda’s speech at the Chicago World Parliament of Religions on this day in 1893.
The theme of the programme was ‘Young lndia, New lndia - A Resurgent Nation: from Sankalp to Siddhi’.
LU teacher and ABVP organisation office-bearer, Rakesh Dwivedi was among the first to chant ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ and ‘Vande Mataram’. After that, several activists of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) cheered loudly, chanting ‘ModiModi’ when Prime Minister Narendra Modi started his address from New Delhi.
The audience, including teachers and students, remained seated till the end of the address. There was loud cheer from the students when the PM tried to connect with them by saying there is no better place for creativity and innovation than university campuses.
Shaheen Anjum Khan, M Sc Botany student, said: “I am very excited to hear out the PM and his observations on Swami Vivekananda who drew attention of the entire world with his powerful speech in Chicago.”
Her friend Samisthi Maurya said, “It was good to see hundreds of boys, girls and teachers attending the live screening while sitting under one roof.”
Deputy chief minister Dinesh Sharma was the special guest on the occasion. Talking to the media, he said, “If anyone wants to understand India, he must first know about Swami Vivekanand.”
When asked about Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s opposition to the live screening of the PM’s speech, Sharma said, “Everyone is aware of her thinking. She has also opposed Durga Puja celebrations.” When asked about the Samajwadi Party’s student awareness campaign that began from Monday, Sharma said, “Youth power should not be wasted in destructive work.” He said 65% of country’s population is youth and hence they should be engaged for constructive work and take country forward.
“If youths are encouraged to follow the right path, they can become like Vivekananda. But if they are pushed towards negative elements, they will end up becoming terrorists,” he said.
Live streaming of the Prime Minister’s address was also arranged in Avadh Girls’ PG College. The event was attended by the faculty, students and staff, informed principal Upma Chaturvedi.