To celebrate the 200th birth anniversary of Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati, the founder of the Arya Samaj movement, the Arya Pratinidhi Sabha of Fiji with other affiliates will be hosting 4-day celebrations from tomorrow.
The Sabha says they, in partnership with its local affiliates and collaboration with the High Commission of India will be celebrating the birth anniversary at the DAV College, Dayanand Nagar, Nabua.
They say the Arya Samaj as a body of people was established on 10th of April 1875 in Bombay/Mumbai, India. The Sabha says the commemorative event marks the arrival of the Vedic humanitarian values to Fiji by the Girmitiyas who arrived here in 1879.
They say the 200th anniversary is a lifetime event for the followers of the Arya Samaj Movement.
They say during the formative days of Arya Samaj, Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati was not the beacon of light at the end of the tunnel of blind faith only, he stood against social ills within the Indian society in the Indian continent.
The Sabha says Swami Dayanand openly denounced the practices of - the slaughter of cows, child marriages, the sati practice of burning widows alive on the funeral pier, untouchability and the caste system by birth.
They say based on the doctrines of the divine Vedas, he stood tall to announce the singular divine power (one God), right to education for women and girls, gender equality, human rights, right to remarriage, particularly of the widows, and values of Vasudhaiva Kutumbhakum”- the world is one big family.
The Sabha says that based on his callings, the Arya Pratinidhi Sabha in Fiji has mounted a rigorous effort towards formal educating all Fijian children from across the spectrum from kindergarten to university level progressively from 1918 to date with special emphasis on education of the girls.
Meanwhile, the celebration incorporates sports, presentations and lyrics on the life and works of Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati where the public is invited to all the events at the DAV College, Nabua. The Sabha schools around the country will also mark the event on Monday.
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