Rishikesh (Uttarakhand) [India], January 21 : Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday lauded Gita Press and its monthly magazine 'Kalyan' for their strong commitment to root 'Sanatan Dharma' and Indian culture, saying the institution "does not run for profit" but for the "creation of generations."
Shah, along with Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, attended the release ceremony of the centenary issue of the monthly magazine Kalyan, which is published by Gita Press at Gita Bhawan in Rishikesh.
Addressing the gathering at Gita Bhawan, Amit Shah said, "All the readers and admirers of Gita Press and Kalyan present in this gathering, I offer my heartfelt greetings to all of you. I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to Gita Press for giving me the opportunity to be present at this auspicious occasion of the release of the 100th issue of Kalyan Magazine. Every person in India who has aspirations for Sanatan Dharma, every person in the world who is looking towards Indian culture for solutions to the world's problems, and every person who loves this land, cannot be unaware of Gita Press."
Shah highlighted that the press is "not running for profit" but runs for the "creation of generations".
Shah said, "Yesterday, I was having a discussion with someone, and when the discussion turned to the millions of books and the figures involved, he started calculating the profits of Gita Press in his mind. You all laughed, and I laughed too. I told him, this press does not run for profit; it runs for the creation of generations. I have told the people of Gita Press that if they need anything, they can call me, but to date, they have never called anyone from the government or for any help."
The Home Minister recalled that Mahatma Gandhi thought that "Spiritual texts and magazines should remain free" from market pressures, which Gandhi had told the 'Kalyan' people in charge.
Shah added that Kalyan is the first magazine in the world to "run with zero advertisements."
"A book that should cost thousands of rupees is being made available to readers by Gita Press for Rs 50-100. When Kalyan magazine was started, Mahatma Gandhi had said, 'Never publish advertisements in Kalyan.' When they came to invite me, I asked if they had needed to publish advertisements. They said, 'It's the hundredth issue, we haven't published a single advertisement.' Mahatma Gandhi had told the people in charge of Kalyan, 'Spiritual texts and magazines should remain free from market pressures.' And Kalyan has continuously followed that advice to this day, and it is perhaps the first magazine in the country and the world that is running with zero advertisements," Shah added.
The home minister requested that all those working at Gita Press please maintain a spiritual atmosphere and said that the two hundredth issue will surely be published if we maintain this journey.
He added, "I arrived here. I was taken to the land of satsang. I had the darshan of Lord Lakshmi Narayan. I performed puja of Maa Ganga. Just like the Kalyan magazine, in the presence of saints, in a sattvic ceremony, this hundredth issue was published. I want to humbly request all those who are working at Gita Press to please maintain this. Someone will surely come to publish the two hundredth issue if we maintain this."
Further, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami asserted that the mandatory recitation of Gita shlokas in all schools of Uttarakhand is a "powerful initiative to connect the new generation with its roots".
"A double-engine government dedicated to the protection of Sanatan values, culture, and traditions. The mandatory recitation of Gita shlokas in all schools of Uttarakhand is a powerful initiative to connect the new generation with its roots," Dhami said.
He further added that the state is no longer just a pilgrimage center but it is now emerging as the "Yoga Capital of the World". "Rishikesh is no longer just a pilgrimage centre; it is now emerging on the global stage as the "Yoga Capital of the World." The cultural identity of Devbhoomi Uttarakhand is reaching new heights, where tradition coexists with progress," he said.