... The VHP has drawn an elaborate plan to set up veda vidyalayas across the country with the aim of imparting vedic education in accordance with the traditional "gurukul" system.

According to this plan ... 700 such schools will be set up in the days to come in each and every corner of the country. "Each district will have one such institution", he says. The task before these vidyalayas each of which is likely to have one teacher and around 15 pupils to begin with, is clear. "In the ancient times, the Vedas - Rig, Sama, Yajur and Atharva - were the fountainhead of knowledge. But with the passage of time, they have ceased to have any relevance ... " the spokesman notes. He goes on to add: "While in the rest of the world, there has been a spurt of interest in the four Vedas in India, sadly enough, they don't count anymore".

The aim of these schools, according to him, was to produce enough scholars who were well-versed in the four Vedas. The entire exercise will be preceded by a "Vishwa Veda Sammelan" to be held in the capital on December 9 - 13 under the aegis of the Vishwa Veda Sansthan ...A similar Conference was held in 1994 at Prayag. (Source: The Indian Express, 30 October, 1998)