CM: Ideas of Guru gained more relevance

SIVAGIRI: The 79th annual Sivagiri pilgrimage began here on Friday morning with thousands of followers of Sree Narayana Guru pouring into his final resting place to redeem themselves of worldly sins.Chief Minister Oommen Chandy opened the pilgrimage and the centenary fete of the Sree Sarada idol installation at a specially-erected marquee on the Sivagiri campus.Dignitaries from various fields and a huge gathering of yellow-clad Guru followers witnessed the function.“The ideas of Sree Narayana Guru have only gained more relevance with changing times,” the Chief Minister said.“The Guru, who laid equal emphasis on spiritual, social and economic uplift of the society, has no parallel in the history of the country,” he said.“The Guru viewed cleanliness and hygiene as the important qualities for an individual and a society.80 years later, a time has come when we realise the meaning of his words,” he said.Special guest at the function, Union Minister of State for Civil Supplies K V Thomas said that Guru was the father of modern Kerala.“The Sivagiri pilgrimage is unique in the world for its attendance of people from all religions and castes,” he said.Fisheries and Excise Minister K Babu, the chief guest on the occasion, said that the world had a lot to learn from the Guru, who stood for spiritual uplift and economic renaissance through farming and agriculture.Swami Sudhananda delivered the benedictory address.“The relevance of Guru’s messages cut across the barriers of country or religion.They are the guidelines for the progress of humanity as a whole,” he observed.Sree Narayana Dharma Sangham Trust president Swami Prakashananda presided over the function.Swami Amruthananda, Swami Rithambharananda, MLAs B Satyan and Varkala Kahar, Andhra Pradesh MLA P K Jayaprakash Narayanan, KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala, Sivagiri monitoring committee member Gokulam Gopalan, Higher Education Council vicechairman T P Sreenivasan and Kerala University Bioinformatics Centre director Dr Achuthsankar S Nair addressed the function.Union Minister K V Thomas requested the Sivagiri Trust authorities to establish a deemed university in the name of Guru for cultural and spiritual studies and research.“The Union Government will extend all support to the venture,” he said.Chief Minister Oommen Chandy informed the gathering that the State Government was actively considering the proposals for an international convention centre and various other development projects at Sivagiri.