The D.A.V. (Dayanand Anglo Vedic) Movement commemorates and perpetuates the philosophy and work of one of the greatest social and religious reformers - who appear but rarely on the stage of the world - Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati. Born in the 19th century, at a time when the Hindu society had become completely oblivious of its ancient spiritual and cultural heritage and caught up inextricably in the meshes of superstition born of intellectual poverty and false beliefs, meaningless rituals and such pernicious practices as untouchability, child marriage and inhuman treatment of women.
Maharshi Dayanand raised his irrepressible voice against all these vices and shook the society to its very foundation by espousing fearlessly and relentlessly the cause of the emancipation of women, the abolition of casteism, pursuit of Swaraj and the popularisation of Hindi. Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore considered him to be the “great path maker of modern India”. He drew his inspiration and strength from the vedas which he exhorted his fellow countrymen to study and regard as with their most precious treasure.