Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday extended his greetings to the nation on Guru Purnima. Taking to Twitter, the Prime Minister tweeted: "Greetings to all citizens on occasion of Guru Purnima. On the auspicious day of #GuruPurnima, we bow in reverence to all our Gurus who have played an important role in inspiring, moulding and shaping our society."
Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi also conveyed their wishes on Twitter on this occasion.
To mark the occasion of Guru Purnima, Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' yesterday launched a people's campaign, 'Selfie with Guru' (#SelfiewithGuru). The minister invited participation from all to post their selfies with teachers on social media and highlight the importance of teachers in our lives. This year, Guru Purnimafalls on July 16, which is celebrated to honour Gurus (or Teachers).
In a recorded message, the education minister asked the students and all those who associated with the educational activities to post their selfies to mark their respect for teachers.
The festival, Guru Purnima, traditionally celebrated by Hindus, Buddhists and Jains, aims to honour teachers who have dedicated their lives to enlightening people with little or no monetary expectations. This day marks the first peak of the lunar cycle after the peak of the solar cycle.
Guru Purnima is also observed by Buddhists and Jains. The word 'gu' means darkness and 'ru' means removal of darkness. Thus, 'guru' is said to be someone who removes all darkness from our lives and guides us on the right path.
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