The book mentions the village of Utirmerur in Tamil Nadu, where an inscription about 1200 years ago was found. It is like a mini constitution. It has been told how the Gram Sabha should be conducted.
PM Modi said – Everyone should read this book.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday mind matter Addressed the nation in the program. This was the 97th episode of the program. In this program, PM Modi kept his point on many issues in front of the country. Along with this, he mentioned an important book. The name of this book is- India: The Mother of Democracy. This book is a compilation of articles written on many subjects.
Referring to this book, PM Modi said that today when we are discussing Republic Day during the Amrit Mahotsav of Independence, it is necessary to mention this interesting book here. Few weeks ago I got this book, in which many interesting topics are discussed. He said that there are many excellent articles in it.
today’s big news
PM Modi said that India is the largest democracy in the world and we Indians are proud that our country India is the mother of democracy. While recommending this book, PM Modi has said that everyone should read it.
Know about this book
The book India: The Mother of Democracy has been published by the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR), which was released on 24 November 2022 by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The book has been edited by Council President Prof. Raghuvendra Tanwar and Member Secretary Prof. Umesh Ashok Kadam.
In this book, the democratic public conduct of India from ancient times to the present has been explained. It has 30 articles by 30 different scholars of history, archeology and social science. Many scholars including famous archaeologist Vasant Shinde, Professor Rajeev Lochan of Punjab University, Professor Jigar Mohammad of Jammu University, Professor Veenu Pant of Sikkim University have written articles in the book.
On which subjects are the articles written?
Talking about the subjects, the book begins with the article on Harappan civilization, the world’s first democratic system. There are 6 parts in the book.
- Archaeology, Literature, Numismatics and Epigraphy.
- Gana, Mahajanapada, State.
- Bhakti and Sect: Imagining Democratic Traditions.
- Emergence of Democratic Promises: Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism.
- People: Tribes and Khaps.
- The Ethos of Democracy: Humanity and Colonialism.
Why should this book be read?
- At the time of book release, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had said that the roots of democracy can be traced back to the fourth century in India. The stone inscriptions of Thanjavur are the living evidence of the same. The evidence of the social systems that existed during the Kalinga and Licchavi periods also speak volumes about India’s democratic DNA.
- Today PM Modi while talking about the articles published in the book said that democracy is in our veins, in our culture. It has been an integral part of our functioning since ages. By nature we have been a democratic society. He said that Dr. Ambedkar had compared the Buddhist Monk Sangh to the Indian Parliament and described it as an institution where there were rules for motions, resolutions, quorum and counting of votes. Baba Saheb believed that Lord Buddha must have got its inspiration from the political systems of that time.
- The book also mentions Utirmerur, a small but well-known village in Tamil Nadu, where an inscription dated about 1200 years ago was found. This inscription surprised the whole world, which is like a mini constitution. It has been explained in detail how the Gram Sabha should be run and what should be the process of selection of its members.
- The book also mentions the 12th century Anubhav Mandapam of Lord Basaveshwara, where free debate and discussion were encouraged. It’s even before Magna Carta. The republican traditions of the kings of the Kakatiya dynasty of Warangal have also been explained.
- The book describes how the Bhakti movement furthered the culture of democracy in western India. The book also has an article on the democratic spirit of the Sikh Panth, which tells about the decisions taken by consensus of Guru Nanak Devji.
- The book also has good information on community driven and consensus driven decisions among Oraon and Munda tribes of central India.
While recommending the book, PM Modi said that after reading it, you will feel how the spirit of democracy has been flowing in every part of the country for centuries. As the mother of democracy, we should constantly think deeply about this subject. It should also be discussed and the world should also be told about it. This will strengthen the spirit of democracy in the country.
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