Bareilly: Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Rohilkhand University, Bareilly, organised a grand celebration of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Jayanti at the Prof. S.B. Singh Auditorium of the Department of Business Administration. The programme was organised by the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Research Chair, with this year’s central theme being “The Highway to Developed India 2047: Antyodaya.”
The event began with the ceremonial lighting of the lamp before portraits of Goddess Saraswati and Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya. Jharkhand Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar was the chief guest, while Vice-Chancellor Prof. Anil Kumar Rai presided over the programme and Padma Shri Dr Mahesh Sharma, Chancellor of Mahatma Gandhi Central University, Bihar, delivered the keynote address. Gangwar currently serves as Governor of Jharkhand.
A book titled “Bhartiyata Ke Amar Sadhak Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya,” authored by Dr Saurabh Verma and Dhruv Sharma, was released jointly by the Governor, Vice-Chancellor and Dr Mahesh Sharma.
In his welcome address, Prof. Rai said Upadhyaya’s life and philosophy emphasised the upliftment of the last person in society. He said the vision of Developed India 2047 would require greater attention to villages, farmers and economically weaker sections.
Addressing students, Governor Gangwar highlighted the role of youth in national and social development and spoke about the continuing relevance of Upadhyaya’s ideas. He encouraged students to contribute actively to society.
Dr Mahesh Sharma discussed Upadhyaya’s life and philosophy and spoke on themes including national thought, rural talent, the One District One Product initiative, agriculture and village-based industries. He also shared his experiences associated with Vinoba Bhave and his interactions with Parmanand Ji.
Speakers emphasised extending development benefits to the last person, promoting rural talent and local resources, and integrating agriculture, village industries and local production with the broader development process.
The programme was coordinated by the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Research Chair, with Dr Saurabh Verma as coordinator and Dr Amit Verma, Dr Vimal Kumar and Dr Rashmi Ranjan as co-coordinators.
Report: Akhilesh Chandra Saxena, Bareilly
