Bareilly — Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Rohilkhand University’s Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Chair organized a grand celebration marking the birth anniversary of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay at the Prof. S.B. Singh Auditorium in the Department of Business Administration. This year’s event was themed “The Highway to a Developed India 2047: Antyodaya.” The program began with a lamp-lighting ceremony before images of Goddess Saraswati and Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay.
Jharkhand Governor Santosh Gangwar attended as chief guest, Vice Chancellor Prof. Anil Kumar Rai presided as host, and Padma Shri Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Chancellor of Mahatma Gandhi Central University, Bihar, delivered the keynote address.
Vice Chancellor Prof. Rai welcomed the chief guest, while Dean of Academics Prof. Trilochan Sharma welcomed keynote speaker Dr. Mahesh Sharma. Dr. Saurabh Verma, Dr. Amit Verma and Dr. Rashmi Ranjan welcomed the Vice Chancellor, and Dr. Deepak Gangwar welcomed Registrar Mahendra Kumar.
During the event, a book titled “Bharatiyata Ke Amar Sadhak Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay” (co-authored by Dr. Saurabh Verma and Dhruv Sharma) was jointly released by Governor Santosh Gangwar, Vice Chancellor Prof. Anil Kumar Rai and Dr. Mahesh Sharma.
Vice Chancellor’s Address
In his welcome remarks, Prof. Rai extended greetings on the occasion of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay’s birth anniversary, saying his life and philosophy show society the path to uplifting its most disadvantaged members. He added that the vision of a Developed India by 2047 can only be realized by embracing the principle of Antyodaya and prioritizing the development of villages, the poor, and farmers.
Chief Guest’s Address
Governor Santosh Gangwar, guiding the students present, said the country’s youth represent its future and urged them to actively contribute to national and social development. He noted that Deendayal Upadhyay’s ideas remain relevant today and that adopting them is key to building a self-reliant India.
Keynote Speaker’s Address
Dr. Mahesh Sharma shared memories of his days with Santosh Gangwar in the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and spoke at length on Deendayal Upadhyay’s philosophy and ideas. He touched on themes including “Ekatm Manav Darshan” (integral humanism), national self-effort, rural talent, the One District One Product (ODOP) scheme, and an agriculture- and rural-industry-based economy. He also recalled his associations with Vinoba Bhave and his meetings with Parmanand ji.
Speakers emphasized taking the benefits of development to the last person in society in line with the concept of Antyodaya, encouraging rural talent and local resources, and integrating agriculture, rural industry, and local production into the mainstream of development.
The event was coordinated by the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Chair, with Dr. Saurabh Verma as convenor and Dr. Amit Verma, Dr. Vimal Kumar, and Dr. Rashmi Ranjan as co-convenors. The program concluded with a vote of thanks to all guests, university officials, faculty, and students.
Reported by Akhilesh Chandra Saxena, Bareilly
