The three-day 88th edition of the All India Marathi Literary Conference began here today with a galaxy of leaders, including Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal, stressing on the need of adopting the path shown by great saints of the country.
The conference got off to a colourful start in this village, about 60 kms from Amritsar, with dignitaries including Sikkim Governor Shriniwas Patil and former Union Minister Sharad Pawar, reaching here at the inaugural function.
The Conference's President Sadanand More threw light on the life and philosophy of Sant Namdev, who hailed from Maharashtra, and had spend nearly 20 years of his life in Ghuman village.
On the occasion, Gadkari sanctioned four-laning of 157 km Amritsar-Ghuman-Sri Hargobindpur-Tanda-Una National Highway, which would incur a cost of about Rs 1,800 crore.
Badal also announced setting up of a college at Ghuman named after Sant Namdev, for which Gadkari and Sharad Pawar laid the foundation stone.
He announced upgradation of a girls school here, establishing a Chair in the Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar after Namdev and development of the village here.
Gadkari thanked Badal for organising the conference in Punjab.
"I thank you on behalf of crores of Marathi people which has made organising this function in Punjab possible," he said.
Gadkari said that people of Maharashtra had drawn inspiration from Gurus and Saints including tenth Sikh Guru, Gobind Singh, Sant Tukaram and Chatrapati Shivaji who left a deep impression on the lives of people of Maharashtra with their teachings.
"Today, there is all the more need to follow the teachings of our Gurus and Saints," he said.
