Summary
The Vice President was speaking as a chief guest at a function organised at Mannanam to mark the 150th death anniversary of St Kuriakose Elias Chavara
Naidu highlighted the contributions of visionary spiritual leaders and urged other states to take a cue from Kerala in the fields of education, social justice and women's empowerment
According to M Venkaiah Naidu, the Vice President of India, community service must be made compulsory for students studying in government as well as private schools. This would help the children to develop an attitude of sharing and caring in their interaction with others.
Naidu was speaking as the chief guest at a function organised at Mannanam to mark the 150th death anniversary of St Kuriakose Elias Chavara, a spiritual leader and social reformer from Catholic community in Kerala.
“Today, there is a dire need to inculcate the spirit of service from a young age in the youth of this country. Once this pandemic is behind us and normalcy returns, I would suggest that government schools as well as those in the private sector must make community service of at least two to three weeks compulsory for students,” he said.
“As a matter-of-fact, the philosophy of share-and-care is at the core of India's age-old culture and must be widely propagated. For us, the whole world is one family as encapsulated in our timeless ideal, 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam'. It is with this spirit that we should move forward together," he added.
Naidu highlighted the contributions of visionary spiritual leaders like legendary social reformer Sree Narayana Guru and St Chavara in various fields and also urged other states to take a cue from Kerala in the fields of education, social justice and women's empowerment.
“I would like to take this opportunity to urge other states to take a cue from Kerala in the fields of education, social justice and women's empowerment as outlined in the pioneering initiatives of Saint Chavara and Narayana Guru. Their path breaking work proves that every state can be transformed into an engine of growth and progress and that this can be achieved through the social and educational empowerment of women and youth belonging to poorer sections of society," he further said.
According to Naidu, the benefits of development must percolate down to the last man in the most backward and impoverished segments of our socio-economic order as spelt out in the philosophy of Antyodaya articulated by the visionary, activist and reformer, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya.
Last updated on 04 Jan 2022
