Place: Umiya Dham, Sidsar, Tal. Jam-Jodhpur, Dist. Jamnagar
Date: 9/2/2012
Greetings to all the devotees of Maa Umiya who have come from different places! Most Revered Morari Bapu has just left after blessing us. I’m basically from North Gujarat and so we are fortunate to have received the blessings of three Goddesses! Our childhood was spent in North Gujarat. We were brought up in three Goddesses’ laps- Maa Amba, Maa Bahuchara and Maa Umiya and we grew up under the eyes of these Goddesses. Today I have got this opportunity to sit at your feet.
After freedom, for some reason our country went on to a wrong track and till date things have remained unsettled. Religion is in our society, in its vitality. And when I say religion, I don’t mean community. Our whole vitality is spiritual, devoted to God and the example of how wonderful this power is, can be found here in Umiya Dham. I was on the way and saw some doctors, engineers, principals, teachers working as volunteers. Somebody was cleaning garbage, somebody was arranging people in queues, and somebody was running with some luggage. They have forgotten that they are doctors, engineers, lawyers, they have forgotten everything,everyone is engaged in service! What type of power is this? Which supreme power gives such type of inspiration? Had we recognized this power since the time of our freedom, our Mother India would have been seated on the throne of supreme power of the world by the citizens of this country, their strength. But we missed that. And another thing that went on the wrong track is that, Ladies & Gentlemen, there have been many great people in the world, homage have been given to many of them in different manners. The tributes have been given to the great people using the best terms by the great persons. When we look at all these tributes, I find one tribute, which is perhaps the best in the world. Hardly do we find such example in this world that homage is offered to a great person, even after 50 to 60 years of his death. And what is that tribute? Who is that great person? In our country when there is any minor problem, any inconvenience, if there is no of hope, then an expression comes out of the mouth of 120 crore Indians, each and every citizens of the country, slips naturally, without any hesitation. And what is that sentence? That sentence is, “We wish Sardar Saheb were alive today!” Can there be any tribute be greater than this? You can imagine. Still today, in every corner of this country we remember this great person, at the time of every difficulty and from children to old alike say, “Had Sardar Saheb been alive today?” There can’t be any homage greater than this.And if Sardar Saheb had got the opportunity of being fortune maker, this country would have become ‘Sujalam-Sufalam’ (Richly watered and fruited land) in real sense, this is what my soul says very loudly and clearly.
Ladies & Gentlemen, though the occasion is spiritual, and is of worship & Prayers, to be blessed, I have to congratulate the organisers because they have decided to use the whole energy for the strong foundation of future society.Many people are donating money. But the intension behind the donations is not to earn blessings, but it is to repay the debt of the society, that this is our society, God has given me something, Maa Umiya has given me something, so I want to offer this back at the feet of this society. I believe that those who want to progress & develop in India, those communities should study the success story of Patidar Community of Gujarat. There is a lot that can be learnt. Otherwise what was said about this community before 50 years, what stories were told about them? Within a span of just 50 years, our ancestors guided us in such a manner that the structure of this society, the strength of the society has become a matter of pride in the whole country. And what did our elders stick to? Let us remember many great people. In our area we continually remember Chhagan Bapa at every step. Chhagan Bapa had entirely devoted himself to education before 125 years. The way people remember Gaekwadji, in our area they remember Chhagan Bapa. And though he had a small house, he used to bring four other children to arrange for their education. Friends, the devotion for education has brought awareness in this society and this has taken this community to this height today. This community has not come forward because of somebody’s obligation. Gentlemen, this community has come up by its own efforts and very hard labour. And I would request our Anilbhai, who runs a university, to keep the topic of ‘Development Journey of Patidar Community’ for Ph.D. Many people of the society will get inspiration. It will be scientifically researched that at what time, which matters were given priority that has brought about the changes in the community. So that other communities may also get direction for their road to progress. There is one more thing. Often one community grows, and for a couple of generations it’s sustained, but by the time next generation comes, it becomes so contaminated that everything established by our ancestors is destroyed. Fortunately this community, I know there are few exceptions, has been saved from such bad elements and it is awakened. And if there are a few miscreants, they avoid facing elders of the community. They think that let’s not go there, we will be embarrassed unnecessarily. There is an atmosphere of moral authority in this community, even without uttering a single word. I know Kunvar Patel since 1979. He entered industrial field from the teaching field. I don’t know why but for so many years, it has never happened that I met him and didn’t bow my head with respect, not a single incident. The reason is moral authority, moral strength. Ladies and Gentlemen, this community has such great leaders who are a very big asset of this community. And now the new generation that has come, they are also brave and dutiful. This new generation is coming forward with the tendency to work hard and putting maximum efforts in their personal life for the benefit of the community. And when the structure of community is such, the blessings of Maa Umiya are bound to be showered!
Kan khai, Man khai, Chorkhai, Morkhai,_pachhikedut na bhag ma aave...’ means a farmer gets the last residual share after everybody takes away their portion! This natural generosity was there. When I was young, I saw many such families where selling of milk was considered a sin. They would never sell milk and rather they would go in village and distribute whole porringer of buttermilk among the poor. Now there are dairies, life has become economical and the situation is that if you go to somebody’s house after 10, you would not get tea as there is no milk. It is not the mistake of the people seated here for the formation of such a society, whole atmosphere has changed but when we are living among such a progressive society, and there are about twelve, fifteen or twenty deliveries of poor women, not more than that. Can’t we, as a society, take interest in this poor pregnant lady, her nine months and her nutrition?Because if the mother is healthy, the child in her womb would be born healthy too. There won’t be any disability or mental retardation. It’s a noble deed to donate blood for ill, to denote eyes or body, but it is much better service to ensure that no feeble child is born. It is not difficult for the society to take care of 12-15 such women per year. Let’s care for the nourishment of these pregnant women. Another point of concern is the small kids facing poverty, who have never got milk except mother’s milk in their life, never seen vegetables. There are usually only 30 to 40 such malnourished children in a village, not more than this. So let some local people decide to feed something to such malnourished kids. One-day gram and groundnuts or jaggery& gram, some other day if you get carrots, distribute 40-50 carrots among these children. During season of berries, two berries each to them. If there is good occasion at home, give them a meal.If there is a natural atmosphere to fight against malnutrition in the society and if the children are healthy, the future Gujarat would be healthy. This is such a community, if we demand we get and the culture of this community is that the farmer eats last, only after feeding everyone. How can these attributes be utilized for the benefit of poor people and malnourished children?As I have come here at Maa Umiya’s abode and standing before lacks of people, I am putting forward a small demand that wherever you live, take care of such small kids, care for some poor pregnant woman, and I’m sure Maa Umiya’s blessing will be showered upon you for generations.
Ladies& Gentlemen, Today I got the opportunity to come among you. This is the festival of social awakening, festival of public welfare and it is being celebrated with the blessings of Maa Umiya. Being the Chief Minister, now I don’t get time but previously I used to express my feeling though poetry. But today for the first time I have come to know that my poems can be choreographed also in such a beautifully way. I congratulate all those daughters who presented this, more than that the organizers for this idea because actually this poetry is quite different, and I never got this ideamysef!Once again, I am a nature lover and you have led me for few moments by words and also added the journey of development of Gujarat that shows the height of your direction. Many many congratulations. Ladies & Gentlemen, after I return to Ahmedabad, Sri Sri Ravishankar will come. Such is the arrangement between us and so I’ll leave in between. May the blessings of all the elders and Maa Umiya be with me and may we not make any mistake and continue doing good work. I offer my salutations to you all from the bottom of my heart. Let’s all acclaim together…
“Bol Mari Maa, Umiya Maa…”
“Bol Mari Maa, Umiya Maa…”
“Bol Mari Maa, Umiya Maa…”
