PM Modi launched works dedicated to Deen Dayal Upadhyay’s philosophy

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a series of works dedicated to the philosophy of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay in New Delhi on October 9 2016

About Deen Dayal Upadhyay :

Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay was an Indian philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and political scientist. He was one of the most important leaders of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the forerunner of the present day Bharatiya Janata Party.

• While he was a student at Sanatan College,Kanpur in 1937, he came into contact with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)through his classmate Baluji Mahashabde.
• He met the founder of the RSS, B. Hedgewar, who engaged with him in an intellectual discussion at one of the shakhas. Sunder Singh Bhandari was also one of his classmates at Kanpur. This gave a fillip to his public life. He dedicated himself to full-time work in the RSS from 1942.
• He had attended the 40-day summer vacation RSS camp a tNagpurwhere he underwent training in Sangh Education. After completing second-year training in the RSS Education Wing, Upadhyaya became a lifelong pracharak of the RSS.
• He worked as the pracharak for the Lakhimpur district and, from 1955, as the joint prantpracharak (regional organiser) for Uttar Pradesh.
• Deendayal Upadhyaya was a man of soaring idealism and had a tremendous capacity for organisation and reflected different aspects of a social thinker, economist, educationalist, politician, writer, journalist, speaker, organiser etc. He was regarded as an ideal swayamsevak of the RSS essentially because ‘his discourse reflected the pure thought-current of the Sangh’.
• He started a monthly Rashtra Dharma from Lucknow in the 1940s. The publication was meant for spreading the ideology of nationalism. Though he did not have his name printed as editor in any of the issues of this publication but there was hardly any issue which did not have his long lasting impression due to his thought provoking writings. Later he started a weekly Panchjanya and a daily Swadesh.
• In 1951, whenSyama Prasad Mookerjee founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, Deendayal was seconded to the party by the RSS, tasked with moulding it into a genuine member of the Sangh Parivar. He was appointed as General Secretary of its Uttar Pradesh branch, and later the all-India General Secretary.

About the philosophy :

As part of efforts to spread the message of BJP ideologue Deen Dayal Upadhyay in his birth centenary year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi  launched a series of works dedicated to the philosophy of the former Jana Sangh chief.

• The 15-volume work highlights key events in the life of Upadhyay, the journey of Jana Sangh and of the country includes watershed events like the 1965 Indo-Pakistan war, Tashkent agreement, and Goa’s liberation.
• The next-to-last volume records events leading up to the murder of Upadhyay soon after he became Jana Sangh chief in 1967.
• The Research and Development Foundation for integral Humanism and Prabhat Publications, the works throws light on the critical analysis and approach to resolving contemporary problems based on the template of ‘Bharatiyata’ as propounded by Upadhyay.
• The entire literature of Pt.Deendayal Upadhyaya has now been published. Although much delayed, as it comes after five decades of his passing away, the publication of The Complete Works of Deendayal Upadhyaya, in his birth centenary year of 2016 is a momentous occasion.
• The introductory volume contains literature from 1940s and writings of Upadhyaya as Sangh Pracharak during the decade in which India attained Independence.
• It is dedicated to MS Golwalkar, second RSS chief and prefaced by Sangh’s sitting chief Mohan Bhagwat.
• It is noted that the works also reveal reasons why leaders of the time considered the formation of Jana Sangh important.

Points to Remember : 

• Previous month Prime minister Narendra Modi announced the formation of two committees for the commemoration of the birth centenary of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay.
• The Prime Minister chair the first committee comprising of 149 member which will be National Committee. Home minister Rajnath Singh chair a 23-member Executive Committee.