"Free Our Society From Pressure Of Professional Pessimists": 12 Key Takeaways From PM Modi's Meditation At Vivekananda Rock

Prime Minister Narendra Modi meditated at the Swami Vivekananda Rock Memorial in Kanniyakumari from the evening of 30 May to the evening of 1 June.

During his return flight from Kanniyakumari to Delhi on 1 June, he penned down what came to his mind during the sadhana. This was published in prominent newspapers today and here are 12 key takeaways:

1. The beginning: PM Modi's last rally was at Hoshiarpur in Punjab, where he remembered Sikh Gurus and Sant Ravidas. The elections and the people he saw in rallies and road shows were coming up in his mind when he started meditating.

2. The past: Modi thought about Eknath Ranade, under whose leadership the Vivekananda Rock Memorial was built and his extensive travels with Ranade.

"During the construction of this Memorial, I had the opportunity to spend some time in Kanniyakumari as well," Modi says adding that the experience was the same as his meditation in the Himalayas decades ago.

3. About Kanniyakumari: "This is the ‘Shakti Peeth’ (seat of Shakti) where Maa Shakti incarnated as Kanya Kumari. At this Southern tip, Maa Shakti performed penance and waited for Bhagwan Shiva, who was residing in the Himalayas at the northernmost parts of Bharat."

"Kanniyakumari is the land of confluences... here, we witness another great confluence—the ideological confluence of Bharat! Here, we find the Vivekananda Rock Memorial, a grand statue of Saint Thiruvalluvar, Gandhi Mandapam, and Kamarajar Mani Mandapam."

4. Saint Tiruvalluvar: Modi calls Saint Thiruvalluvar's work Thirukkural "one of the crown jewels of the beautiful Tamil language" and says it covers every aspect of life, inspiring us to give our best for ourselves and the nation.

5. How Bharat inspires World: PM Modi cites examples of India's freedom movement and Covid-19 pandemic to suggest that Bharat’s welfare benefits our planet’s journey to progress as well.

6. Bharat's governance: Modi says that India empowering 25 crore people to rise above poverty in just 10 years and innovative practices like Pro-People Good Governance, aspirational districts, and aspirational blocks are setting global benchmarks.

7. Digital India: Modi says that through Digital India campaign, technology was used to empower the poor, bring transparency, and ensure their rights.

He also says that inexpensive data is becoming a means of social equality and the whole world is witnessing and studying the democratiation of technology through our model.

8. Bharat's role: Modi says that since the success of the G-20, the world has been increasingly envisioning a bigger role for Bharat, as a strong voice of Global South. 

"The African Union has become a part of the G-20 group at the initiative of Bharat. This is going to be a crucial turning point for the future of African countries," he says.

9. Future: "We must step forward towards greater duties and larger goals. We need to dream new dreams, convert them into reality and begin living those dreams," Modi says.

He urges to see Bharat's development in the global context and understand its internal capabilities, so that we can nurture and utilise it. He highlights India's strength as a youthful nation.

10. What needs to be changed: Modi asserts that we need to change our traditional thinking regarding reform as it cannot be limited to just economic reforms.

He says that we must move forward in every aspect of life towards the direction of reform as reform can never be a unidimensional process for any country. 

"The responsibility of reform lies with leadership, undefined on that, our bureaucracy performs, and when the people join in with the spirit of Jan Bhagidari, we witness a transformation taking place," he adds.

11. The direction: "We need to work quickly in all four directions: Speed, Scale, Scope, and Standards. Alongside manufacturing, we must also focus on quality and adhere to the mantra of 'zero defect-zero effect'," Modi says.

He urges to redefine our heritage and free our society from the pressure of professional pessimists. He asserts that freedom from negativity is the first step towards achieving success.

12. Then and now: Modi says that while the freedom struggle called for great sacrifices, the present times call for great and sustained contributions from everyone.

He urges to lay the foundation for a ‘Viksit Bharat’ in these 25 years of the 21st century, just like we utilised the fourth and fifth decades of the 20th century for the freedom movement.