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State Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday formally unveiled the statue of Pandit Radheshyam Kathavach, the great playwright and famous storyteller of Hindi literature and folk theater tradition, at Smriti Bhawan Auditorium.

CM Yogi started his address with the slogan ‘Siyavar Ramchandra ki Jai’. He greeted all the guests and the public present at the statue unveiling program organized in memory of the famous storyteller Pandit Radheshyam and paid tribute to his literary and cultural contribution.

He said that I am happy that today I had the privilege of unveiling the statue of someone whose story we grew up listening to. He said that the society which respects and protects its heritage paves the way for development and the one who harms its ancestors and its heritage harms its own path of progress. Respect for heritage is the basis of our progress.

The Chief Minister said that Maharishi Valmiki worked to unite the country through Shri Ram Katha, Tulsi Das ji made him realize the power of the name Ram, people told him that if you go to the royal court, you will also be included among the nine gems, but he said that my king is only one and that is Lord Shri Ram.

He said that the work done by Tulsidas ji who connected people through Ramcharit Manas, the work done by Pandit Radheshyam storyteller, his dialogues became the basis of staging Ramlila. He said that Pandit Radheshyam has an important role in Sanatan Dharma, it is our responsibility to express our gratitude towards him. He said that whoever worshiped Ram, be it Jatayu or Hanuman ji, he got salvation.

He said that the work which Tulsidas ji did in the medieval period, Maharishi Valmiki did in Tretayuga, the same work has been done by Pandit Radheshyam ji in the modern period. He said that Pandit ji has a huge contribution towards Sanatan Dharma. He said that Sanatan is the soul of India, and it is our responsibility to express our gratitude towards the great man who has strengthened this soul.

Pandit ji has made us all aware of the importance of the name Ram in very simple language and through dialogues with ease. Pandit ji has presented Ramayana in the language of public behavior and in simple language. Today we have the privilege of expressing our gratitude to him through the unveiling of his statue.

The Chief Minister said that the storyteller Pandit Radheshyam did the work of spreading Indian culture, Ram Katha and Sanatan values ​​to the people through his writing and storytelling. His literary contribution will always remain a source of inspiration for the coming generations. He said that it is the responsibility of both the society and the government to honor such great litterateurs and cultural figures.

The Chief Minister said that in 1983, Pandit Radheshyam attained liberation from his physical and mortal body, but he could not get the respect that he gets today. He said that Pandit Radheshyam ji’s house should be made a museum through the Tourism Department, in which the state government will cooperate. All the memories of Pandit ji will be stored in this museum, so that the coming generations can also benefit from it.

It was told in the program that the narrator Pandit Radheshyam was born on 25 November 1890 in the family of Pandit Bankelal in Biharipur locality of Bareilly city. He was a great playwright and famous storyteller of Hindi literature. His most popular work is “Radheshyam Ramayana”, which he composed in 25 sections in Khariboli and folk drama style.

This immortal work, composed at the age of just 17, gained unprecedented popularity across the country. During his lifetime, a total of more than two and a quarter crore copies of it were published and sold in Hindi and Urdu.

Pandit Radheshyam, the narrator, the first President of independent India, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, had also invited him to Rashtrapati Bhavan and listened to Ram Katha for 15 days. While collecting funds for the establishment of Kashi Hindu University, he dedicated his entire income of one year to Mahamana Madan Mohan Malaviya. He also wrote his autobiography ‘Mera Natak Kaal’ in the last phase of his life.

At the end of the program, everyone was thanked by Mayor Dr. Umesh Gautam. The program was conducted by Avnish Kumar.

In the program, from the family of narrator Pandit Radheshyam, Pandit Radheshyam’s granddaughter Sharda Bhargava, grandson Kashinath Sharma and his wife Jyoti Sharma, grandson Late. Vishwanath Sharma’s wife Vijay Lakshmi Sharma and other members were present.