Nehru Memorial Museum and Library Society

The Prime Minister has chaired the Annual General Meeting of Nehru Memorial Museum & Library Society (NMML) Society where he emphasised on encouraging research, scholarship among the youth and making history more appealing. The Prime Minister also discussed ways to make the PM-Sangrahalaya more popular among youngsters.

Details –

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi presided over the annual general meeting of the NMML Society, in his capacity as its president.
• During the meeting, PM Modi emphasised the need for institutions in the country to record well-researched work for the benefit of the present and future generations.
• He also expressed satisfaction over the design and content of Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya and called the museum truly nation-centric, and not person-centric.
  • The Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya is a tribute to every Prime Minister of India since Independence.
  • It is a narrative record of how each PM has contributed to the development of our nation over the last 75 years.
• PM said there was a need to make the museum popular among the youth by organising competitions about its content in colleges and universities.
• He mentioned that the 200th birth anniversary of Arya Samaj founder Swami Dayanand Saraswati falls in 2024.
• In this context, PM Modi called upon the academic and cultural institutions across the country to produce content about the contributions of the social reformer as well as about the Arya Samaj.

About Nehru Memorial Museum and Library Society –

• Status — The Nehru Memorial Museum & Library (NMML) is an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India.
• Background — It was established in 1964 in the memory of First Prime Minister (PM) of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (1889 – 1964).
• Location — It is located in the Teen Murti House, Delhi (the official residence of the first PM).
• Administration — Prime Minister of India is the President of the NMML.
• NMML Society — It is responsible for all the key decisions regarding the functioning of the memorial.
• Units — It has four major constituents namely –
  • Memorial Museum,
  • Library on modern India,
  • Centre for Contemporary Studies and
  • Nehru Planetarium.

About ‘Swami Dayanand Saraswati’ –

• Swami Dayanand Saraswati was a philosopher, social leader and founder of the Arya Samaj, a reform movement of Vedic dharma.
  • • He established the Arya Samaj on April 7, 1875, in Bombay — with 10 principles that are beautifully based purely on God, soul and nature.
    • This organisation brought about immense changes in the religious perceptions of Indians.
• He was the first to give the call for Swaraj as “India for Indian” in 1876.
• He preached ‘Universalism‘, and not any specific caste.
• He introduced a complete overhaul of the education system and is often considered as one of the visionaries of modern India.
  • • The DAV (Dayanand Anglo Vedic) schools came into existence in 1886 to realize the vision of Swami Dayanand Saraswati.
    • The first DAV School was established at Lahore with Mahatma Hansarj as the headmaster.
• One of his most influential works is the book Satyarth Prakash, which contributed to the Indian independence movement.
  • • His followers included Sri Aurobindo and S. Radhakrishnan.