Dear fellow travellers on the journey called Life,

Today, I congratulate you from the core of my heart on this 157th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Hansraj ji, the first Head Master of the first DAV School, and also the First Principal of the first DAV College at Lahore. We revere him and call him a Mahan-Aatma because of his qualities of Tyag, Taap, honesty, righteousness, dedication, morality, patience and many many more.

Like last year, DAV had planned to celebrate the Mahatma Hansraj Day at Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, however another wave of Covid 19 waylaid our plans. We accept the will of God.

Today, in these difficult times when the dreaded disease is attacking us with its various mutations, when long hours of lockdown may bring about another economic crisis, when uncertainty looms overhead, the life of Mahatma Hansraj ji, serves an example before us. His entire life, despite self-invited poverty, his dedication to his self-choosen path of building and developing the complete human being, did not diminish. Despite all that he had to bear because of the British Raj and other political atmosphere, he was always at peace with himself and slept well. His life proved that “Peace comes not from the absence of conflict in life, but comes from the ability to cope with it.”

Another virtue that he had in abundance, which we need to imbibe in ourselves, is his positive attitude. Despite the heavy odds aginst him, his complete faith on God gave him his positive attitude, which developed to the extent that it became contagious. People, who were in a dejected mood would go to meet him and come back elated and ready to fight the world. While people grumbled that roses have thorns, he was glad that thorns have roses.

Therefore, a true Sharddhanjali to the great soul would be to learn from his life develop our faith on God, and face the future regardless of what it may throw at us.

I request you to please take care, follow the Covid Protocol, wear your mask, sanitize, wash hands with soap, and maintain the necessary social distance. I pray that may we all comeout of this challenge with flying colours, healthy and smiling.

—- स्वस्थ रहो और वयस्थ रहो ।