New Delhi, Oct 31 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged Arya Samaj to champion Swadeshi with renewed vigour, making 'Vocal for Local' a mass movement rooted in Maharshi Dayanand’s ideals. Celebrating women’s empowerment, he highlighted India’s daughters soaring as Rafale pilots, leading Chandrayaan missions, and topping global STEM graduates—transforming Swami Dayanand’s vision of educated, liberated women into a national reality that strengthens Viksit Bharat.  Swami Dayanand was born when British rule had filled India with superstition and fear of new ideas. After years of prayer in the Himalayas, he returned with a strong message: 

“Go back to the Vedas!” PM Modi said on Friday that the sage ended caste bias and “untouchability”, corrected wrong readings of holy books through open debates, and fought hard for girls to get an education.  He was addressing the International Arya Mahasammelan 2025 in Rohini at the summit marking the 150th foundation year of Arya Samaj. PM Modi paid rich tributes to the reformist sage, describing the gathering as a divine experience infused with the enduring energy of Vedic mantras and the blessings of Swami Dayanand Saraswati.  PM Modi highlighted the Swadeshi movement and Arya Samaj’s historic role in it. As India once again promotes local goods and goes “vocal for local”, he said Arya Samaj’s part in this effort is now even more important. 

He urged the organisation to push natural farming, the backbone of our rural economy. With the world now valuing chemical-free agriculture, the Arya Samaj must raise awareness about it.  He also called on members to join the Jal Jeevan Mission and water-conservation drives. Acknowledging Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on the dais, PM Modi celebrated contemporary milestones: President Droupadi Murmu’s Rafale sortie alongside Squadron Leader Shivangi Singh, women leading space missions, and India boasting the world’s highest female STEM graduates. 

These, he said, fulfil Swami Dayanand’s vision. Quoting the seer’s maxim that true maturity lies in consuming least and contributing most, PM Modi urged Arya Samaj to intensify Swadeshi promotion, join the Gyan Bharatam Mission to digitise ancient manuscripts, advocate natural farming with sacred ‘Shri Anna’ grains, support Jal Jeevan Mission and Amrit Sarovar creation, and expand the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ afforestation drive. 

Invoking “Krinvanto Vishwam Aryam,” he aligned global initiatives like Mission LiFE and International Yoga Day with Arya Samaj’s disciplined ethos. The Prime Minister recalled his long association with Arya Samaj scholars, noting that every interaction leaves him charged with unique inspiration. He reminisced about inaugurating Swami Dayanand’s bicentenary celebrations in Delhi and addressing a programme at the seer’s Gujarat birthplace last year via video message. The two-year ‘Vichar Yajna’ resolve, he said, had been fulfilled with commitment, and today offered another chance to bow at the feet of the “Maharshi” during Arya Samaj’s sesquicentennial.

“This 150th anniversary is not confined to one community; it is a national celebration of our Vedic identity,” PM Modi declared. He linked the occasion to India’s philosophical tradition of self-purification, akin to the Ganga’s flow, and to Arya Samaj’s legacy of social reform that galvanised freedom fighters such as Lala Lajpat Rai and Ramprasad Bismil. Regretting the movement’s overlooked role in the independence struggle due to political motives, he praised Arya Samaj for fearlessly defending Indianness against alien ideologies, divisive mindsets, and cultural erosion. PM Modi released a commemorative coin and postal stamp, and urged the organisation to champion national priorities from manuscript preservation to water conservation. 

Arya Samaj schools, starting with a girls’ institution in Jalandhar that grew into a college, have empowered lakhs of daughters, now strengthening the nation. Concluding with the Vedic call to walk, speak, and think together, PM Modi expressed confidence that Swami Dayanand’s light will guide humanity. Gujarat and Maharashtra Governor Acharya Devvrat was among the dignitaries present at the summit, part of the Jyana Jyoti Festival honouring the Maharshi’s reformist legacy and Arya Samaj’s global outreach through education, social reform, and spiritual upliftment.