Raipur, Aug 4 (PTI) Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Tuesday announced that Sant Guru Ravidas Jayanti will be observed as a public holiday in Chhattisgarh from 2027 and that the sale of meat and liquor will remain prohibited across the state on the occasion.
Sai noted that India is a sacred land of saints, sages and great personalities who have guided society whenever it was plagued by injustice, discrimination and social inequalities.
He was addressing the ‘Kalash Vandan Mahaabhiyan’ programme at Pt Deendayal Upadhyay Auditorium here to mark the 650th birth anniversary year of Sant Guru Ravidas, a revered mystic poet-saint of the Bhakti movement.
Guru Ravidas, through his life and teachings, gave society a message of social harmony, equality and devotion that remains relevant even today, an official statement quoted the CM saying at the programme.
The medieval-era poet-saint and social reformer is revered by followers across the country, including a large number of Dalit community members. His birth anniversary is celebrated on Magh Purnima (which falls in January/February).
The life of Guru Ravidas is an eternal message of equality, devotion, dignity of labour and social justice. He showed humanity the path of rising above discrimination, untouchability and social divisions. This is the foundation of a developed, harmonious and strong India, Sai said.
The CM announced that Guru Ravidas Jayanti will be a public holiday in the state from next year and meat and liquor sales will remain completely banned across Chhattisgarh on the day.
The CM also announced that a state award in the name of Sant Guru Ravidas will be instituted as part of the Chhattisgarh State Foundation Day awards and said a prominent square in Nava Raipur Atal Nagar will be named after the saint.
He said efforts would be made, in consultation with the Assembly Speaker, to inscribe Guru Ravidas’ celebrated verse, “Aisa chahun raj main, jahan mile saban ko ann; chhot-bado sab sam basain, Ravidas rahain prasann,” (which talks of social equality, freedom from hunger, universal harmony) in the House complex.
The CM observed Guru Ravidas courageously resisted attempts by the then-ruler Sikandar Lodi to force religious conversion and preached that all human beings are equal and that true devotion and righteous conduct are the path to God.
Sai said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas” and the mantra of “Vikas Bhi, Virasat Bhi” reflected the country’s commitment to preserving its cultural and spiritual heritage alongside development.
During the programme, the CM carried on his head a ceremonial urn containing sacred soil and water brought from Guru Ravidas’ birthplace at Seer Govardhanpur in Varanasi before placing it before the saint’s portrait.
He later handed over the sacred urns to representatives from different districts and flagged off vehicles that will carry them to villages across the state, expressing confidence the campaign would spread Guru Ravidas’ message of harmony, equality and social unity to every household. PTI TKP RSY
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