SOUTH AFRICA, April 27, 2016 (Arya Samaj, SA): The Arya Samaj SA, celebrated ninety years of its founding recently at the Durban Exhibition Centre, with dignitaries from government and international visitors attending. The chief guest, Minister of Finance, Pravin Gordhan, emphasized the key role that civil society has to play in strengthening any democracy. “Organisations like the Arya Pratinidhi Sabha serve as the moral conscience of the nation and keeps everybody honest,” he said. Mr Sihle Zikalala, provincial leader of the ANC in KZN, acknowledged the role the Arya Samaj had played in the liberation struggle in this country, but said new challenges such as building social cohesion loom large. “Your organization can play a role in contributing to this cohesion,” he added.
Swami Aryavesh, spiritual head of the Arya Samaj movement worldwide which is based in India, said that Arya Samaj is not just a religious organization. It is one which concerns itself primarily with social justice and nobody should be content with pursuing his own welfare only. “We should seek our welfare by promoting the welfare of others,” he stressed. A new grouping, Arya Samaj Africa was launched, following a workshop where a Memorandum of Understanding was signed by delegates from Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Mauritius and Malawi. Organisations from these countries will collaborate, share expertise and resources to tackle common challenges in their respective countries.