‘9/11 was attack on humanity’

Ahmedabad, Sep 11 (PTI):
Terming the 9/11 terror attack an assault on humanity, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday asserted that a permanent solution to such tragedies can be found in human values. He said that on the same day in 1893, Swami Vivekananda had introduced to the world the human values of India during his address at the Parliament of World’s Religion in Chicago.
Modi’s statements come on the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York and amid the developments in Afghanistan, where the Taliban has taken control of the country. “Today is September 11, that is 9/11, a date in the history of the world that is also known for attacks on humanity. But this same date also taught a lot to the whole world,” Modi said after inaugurating via video conference the Sardardham Bhavan in Ahmedabad to provide residential and other facilities to students and job aspirants, and also performed the ‘bhoomi pujan’ of Sardardham Phase-II Kanya Chhatralaya, a girls’ hostel. He said that on September 11, 1893, Swami Vivekananda stood on the global stage and introduced to the world India’s human values. “Today, the world is realising that the lasting solution to tragedies like the two decades-old 9/11 will be through these values of humanity. Also, if we need to remember lessons learnt from these terror attacks, then we also need to keep making efforts for human values with full faith,” Modi said. The prime minister announced a chair for Tamil studies dedicated to Tamil poet Subramania Bharati on his death anniversary. The chair will be set up in the Faculty of Arts at the Banaras Hindu University (BHU), he said. “Today is (also) the 100th death anniversary of India’s great scholar, philosopher and freedom fighter Subramania Bharati. The vision of ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ that Sardar (Patel) Saheb carried, the same philosophy has been shining with full divinity in the Tamil writings of Mahakavi Bharati,” he said. The PM said the chair would inspire students and research fellows to work towards making the grand India that Bharati dreamt of. “Subramania Bharati also put a special emphasis on the country’s unity, and his ideals are an integral part of Indian philosophy,” Modi said.
He said the inspiration and energy of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel that forced the British to bow down now stands in the form of the world’s tallest ‘Statue of Unity’ dedicated to him. “Who can forget that when the idea of ‘Statue of Unity’ was proposed by Gujarat, the entire country became a part of the effort. From corners of the country, farmers sent iron. This statue is a place of inspiration, a symbol of the country’s unity, united effort,”
he said.