Modi govt. is providing every possible support and cooperation to Asiatic Society of Mumbai and will continue to do so in the future

Amit Shah inaugurated the ‘Ganesh Gyanarthi Exhibition’ organised by the Asiatic Society of Mumbai in Mumbai today. On this occasion, Chief Minister of Maharashtra Shri Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Shri Eknath Shinde, and President of the Asiatic Society of Mumbai Dr. Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, along with several other dignitaries were present.

Addressing the programme, Shri Amit Shah said that he has come to the Asiatic Society not as the Home Minister, but as a participant in the movement to carry forward the Indian knowledge tradition for thousands of years. Shri Shah expressed confidence that the Asiatic Society of Mumbai will become a bearer of the Indian knowledge tradition and spread it across the country.

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah said that a nation which cannot protect its smriti, history, values, language, records and traditions, no matter how powerful it may be, does not take long to decline; and a nation which protects its smriti, history, traditions, values, records, language and grammar, no matter for how many years it remains enslaved, cannot truly be enslaved by anyone. He said that many forces attempted to erase India’s radiant knowledge, which stood ready to guide the world, but they could not succeed. Shri Shah said that the library of Nalanda can be burned; it can be reduced to ashes with such intensity that smoke rises for months, but the knowledge that has settled in people’s minds in the form of Shruti and Smriti cannot be destroyed by anyone.

Shri Amit Shah said that it is the culture of our country that when we are defeated, we move forward with patience; and when we are victorious, we try to integrate those whom we have conquered into our tradition without destroying their memories. He said that true knowledge is never held hostage by any ideology. Knowledge itself is an ideology; if it is bound in any way, the very meaning of knowledge changes. Shri Shah said that knowledge should be free, uninhibited, and its proclamation should also be free and uninhibited. Therefore, instead of getting entangled in who founded the Asiatic Society and for what purpose, we should look at how the knowledge and collections that lie before us today can be used in the creation of a great India.