"Indian culture reaching various corners of world": PM Modi lauds Dominican Republic group 'Brahmakamal Dominicana' for learning vedic mantras
New Delhi, June 28
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday highlighted how Indian culture is finding new admirers far beyond the country's borders, pointing to a small but dedicated group in the Dominican Republic that has taken up the study of Vedic traditions.
In the 135th episode of his monthly radio programme 'Mann Ki Baat', PM Modi spoke about the 'Brahmakamal Dominicana' group formed by local Spanish-speaking residents who came together to learn about Indian spiritual traditions.
"Indian culture is reaching various corners of the globe today. People across the world are discovering and embracing our songs, music, and spirituality. Thousands of kilometres away from India, in the Caribbean Sea, lies a country called the Dominican Republic. The Indian population there is around 100, perhaps even fewer. Despite this, a wonderful initiative connected to Indian culture and spirituality is underway there. A team has been formed by some Spanish-speaking locals; this team is named 'Brahmakamal Dominicana'," said PM Modi.
The Prime Minister went on to describe how the members of the group have taught themselves to chant Vedic mantras purely through self-study with audio recordings, without access to any formal training.
"The members study Vedic literature together and are learning to chant Vedic mantras. They have received no formal training on this; but they have learnt the correct pronunciation by listening to audio recordings. Today, they chant several mantras-such as the Purusha Suktam, Sri Suktam, Sri Rudram, Durga Suktam, and Devi Mahatmyam-with great proficiency," he said.
Commending their remarkable dedication, the Prime Minister praised the group for keeping India's ancient traditions alive in a part of the world with barely any Indian presence.
"Their effort to learn our traditions while living so far from India is truly inspiring. I extend my best wishes to all the members of 'Brahmakamal Dominicana' for their endeavours," PM Modi said.
— ANI
Reader Comments
While it's wonderful that people abroad appreciate our traditions, I wish we would put similar effort into preserving and teaching these mantras to our own youth in India. Many young Indians today don't know basic shlokas. Let's not lose our roots while others discover them.
Living in the US, I've seen how yoga and meditation have become mainstream here. But this story from Dominican Republic is next level! Chanting Sri Rudram without any teacher? That requires serious dedication. This is what cultural diplomacy looks like.
As someone who has struggled to learn Sanskrit pronunciation myself, I'm amazed they managed it just from audio! The Purusha Suktam is especially complex with all its sandhi rules. Big respect to Brahmakamal Dominicana. 👏
I visited India last year and was blown away by the depth of your culture. This story makes me happy that more of the world is discovering it. But honestly, I think the credit here goes to these amazing locals, not just the PM. They did this out of pure love for knowledge.
Brilliant initiative! But let's not forget the thousands of Indian scholars and gurus who have been quietly spreading our culture abroad for decades without any fanfare. The real unsung heroes are those who taught these traditions before it became 'cool'.
K We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.