Antyodaya Diwas 2023: Celebrated on September 25 to mark the birth anniversary of key BJP ideologue Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya. He was a humanist, journalist, philosopher, economist and political activist. On the anniversary of his birth, let’s look at some interesting facts about him.
Key facts about Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya
1. On September 25, 1916, he was born in Chandrabhan village, now known as Deendayal Dham, near Farah town in Mathura district. His father’s name was Bhagwati Prasad and he was an astrologer. Mother’s name was Rampyari. When he was eight years old, both his parents died and he was raised by his maternal uncle.
2. Under the guardianship of his maternal uncle and aunt, he was educated and went to high school in Rajasthan where he completed his matriculation. He completed his secondary studies at Birla College, Pilani, and graduated from Sanatan Dharma College, Kanpur in 1939. To earn a master’s degree in English literature, he joined St. John’s in Agra, but was unable to complete it. He joined the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) as a full-time employee known as Pracharak.
3. In 1942, he started working full-time in the RSS and became a Pracharak for life. There he met the founder of the party, KB Hedgewar, and underwent a 40-day camp at Sangh Education and the second year of training at the RSS Education Wing.
4. In the 1940s, he started a monthly Rashtriya Dharma from Lucknow to spread the ideology of Hindutva nationalism. Later he also started Panchjanya and daily Swadesh.
5. He became the first general secretary of the Uttar Pradesh branch of the Bharatiya Jan Sangh when it was founded in 1951. He was subsequently appointed its all-India general secretary. He was the general secretary of that organization for 15 years.
6. In addition to all his organizational skills, he was also known for his philosophical and literary works. He developed the concept of ‘integral humanism’ which advocated the holistic development of the mind, body, intellect and soul of each individual.
7. He was convinced that India as an independent nation could not rely on Western concepts including individualism, democracy, socialism, communism or capitalism.
8. He always believed that the Indian intellect was dominated by Western theories. He welcomed modern technology but according to Indian requirements. He always believed in Swaraj which is self-governance.
9. He was elected as the President of the Jan Sangh in December 1967. On 11 February 1968, he was assassinated under mysterious circumstances while travelling. His body was found near Mughalsarai railway station in Uttar Pradesh.
10. Some of his literary works include the drama “Chandragupta Maurya” and the translation of Dr. KB Hedgewar’s biography, which was originally written in Marathi. He also compiled a biography of Adi Shankara (Shankaracharya), a 9th century Hindu reformer.
His legacy is very much alive in India today in the form of the ideology of the Bharatiya Janata Party which emerged from the Bharatiya Jana Sangh.
11. Several institutions in recognition of his leadership are named after him, such as the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Hospital in West Delhi; Deen Dayal Upadhyaya University, in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh; and Pandit Deen Dayal Petroleum University, in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
Some of his thoughts are:
“Western science and Western ways of life are two different things. While Western science is universal and we must absorb it if we want to move forward, the same is not true of Western ways of life and values.”
“Here in Bharat, we have set before ourselves the ideal of fourfold responsibility to meet the needs of body, mind, intellect and soul with the aim of achieving the integrated progress of man.”
No doubt, he dedicated his life to social causes and Bharatiya Jana Sangh party. He never married, but several young party workers saw him as an inspiring father figure during his lifetime.
Scroll through the tweets below to witness the Antyodaya Diwas fervor:
पंदित दीनडायाल उपाध्याय जी का जीवन राष्ट्रसेव ा व समर्पन का विरात प्रतिक है। When it comes to humanity’s welfare, Pandit ji’s principle of the concept of humanism is completely guided by the path of the pole star. pic.twitter.com/xvbkkexFNT
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah)
September 25, 2023
हैम्री प्रेरनास्रोत वें अपनी भावपूर्न अधिक चिन्त क, पंडित दीनडायाल उपाध्याय की जाईंती पर में उन्हे ं प्रणी भावपुर्न अध्योग अरपित करता है. अध्या विचार भार्टिया पुलिटी में शुचिता, सार्पन अव्य पुनिचिता की प्रेप्राना देखे हैन.
“Ekatm Manavvaad” ke pnëta ke rup mén unhönn é ek äisa economic…
— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh)
September 25, 2023
मान भारती की सेवा में जीवन के रहे रहे अंट्योडा के प्रनेता पंडित दीनडायाल उपाद्याय जी का विश्वार का वर्तित्व देशासियों के लिये हमे शा प्रेनास्रोट बाना रहेग. अंग्री जन्म-जायंती पर आस्में मेरा साद्धान नामन. pic.twitter.com/2UvRlSaEF2
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi)
September 25, 2023
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Source: HIS Education