“Bharat is a civilisational and cultural flow that has been enriched by great people of all walks of national life including artists and artisans; it was not a monopoly of public intellectuals. The Lokmanthan aims at strengthening this Bharat Bodh and reclaiming this great legacy,”
Shri J Nandakumar, general secretary of the organising committee of Lokmanthan, said
Shri J Nandakumar, general secretary of the organising committee of Lokmanthan, said
Bharat has a great legacy of discussion and debates that is evident from our Vedas and Upanishads, Lokmanthan is an effort to reclaim our great legacy and we must organise many such Lokmanthans all across the country, said the Vice President Shri M Venkaiah Naidu. He was speaking at the inaugural session of Lokmanthan 2018, a biennial colloquium of nation first thinkers and practitioners, at Games Village in Ranchi on September 27. Hailing the idea of Lokmanthan, Shri Venkaiah Naidu said, “It is a great initiative to give exposure to real young thinkers.”
Inaugurating the Ranchi edition of Lokmanthan, Shri Venkaiah Naidu said, “In Bharat, we have a long and rich tradition of debates and discussions. It is the time to reinvent and put it before the public. It is our mission to present our real culture and legacy in its real form.” It is the need of the hour, especially when a group of people are crying foul over ‘intolerance’, he added.
“We must respect our mother who gave us birth, motherland (one’s native place), mother tongue, mother nation and Guru mother. Mother tongue is our eyes, and other languages are just spectacles. One cannot replace his or her eyes with spectacles. But that does not mean that we are against English. The problem lies not in English but in the English mindset,” Shri Venkaiah Naidu said.
“Bharat is one nation, one people and one country, despite having a multi-lingual background. The whole nation is one, from Kashmir to Kanyakumari,” the vice president said. Differentiating culture from religion, he said that while religion is a way of worship, culture is a way of living.
“In India, secularism is always safe and intact because it is in the DNA of every individual,” he said. He also called for a constructive discussion in the on-going Lokmanthan. “Constructive discussion is the need of the hour. Let us keep this in mind and move on,” he said.
Shri Venkaiah Naidu gave a call to the people of Bharat to go back to their roots, and rectify all social inequalities. Gender-based and caste-based discriminations are not part of our culture. He reminded that we have a great nation and culture but India has never attacked any other countries despite having superior knowledge and wealth.
The Vice President also visited the exhibition hall, the featuring the profound art and culture of Bharat. He said that what he saw in the exhibition gallery was the abstract of Indian culture.
Presiding over the function, Chief Minister of Jharkhand Raghubar Das said that he is very fortunate to be able to host world famous writers, artists and intellectuals. He welcomed all the guests and delegates on behalf of the people of Jharkhand. He said that Jharkhand gave birth to great personalities like Birsa Munda who fought against the invaders and struggled to save our culture.
“We are so lucky enough to born in Bharat. We all belong to one family. Bharat is the only nation, which accommodates people belonging to all classes, diverse linguistic background and traditions,” Shri Raghubar Das said. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Narendra Modi led BJP Government are striving to realise the dream of Swami Vivekananda, making Bharat the Vishwa Guru. The three-day conclave of Lokmanthan gives a call to everyone to take Bharat to the pinnacle of glory, he added.
Addressing the gathering, J Nandakumar, national convener of Prajna Pravah and general secretary of the organising committee of Lokmanthan, said that Lokmanthan is conceived as an open platform for all strata of society, not just for intellectual class. “In 2016, the Bhopal edition of Lokmanthan discussed Desh Kal and Stiti (the present scenario of the nation), in the Ranchi edition the central theme of Lokmanthan is Bharat-Bodh: Jan- Gan- Man. What is the Idea of Bharat, what is our idea of nation and society, what is the mind of Bharat, what was it, what is it and in which direction should it go; all these topics will be discussed, and related issues will be addressed in the deliberations,” he said.
“Bharat is a civilisational and cultural flow that has been enriched by great people of all walks of national life including artists and artisans and it was not just a monopoly of public intellectuals. The Lokmanthan aims at strengthening this Bharat Bodh and reclaiming this great legacy,” he explained.
“It was a golden opportunity to rejuvenate our indigenous thought and system in 1947, when we got independence. But unfortunately it did not happen. Lokmanthan is an effort towards that direction, Shri J Nandakumar said.
Prof Nandkumar Indu, Vice Chancellor Central University of Jharkhand welcomed the guests and delegates to the three-day national conclave. Delivering the welcome address, he said that spirituality is the national character of Bharat.
Prof Nandkumar Indu, Vice Chancellor Central University of Jharkhand welcomed the guests and delegates to the three-day national conclave. Delivering the welcome address, he said that spirituality is the national character of Bharat.
Governor of Jharkhand Droupadi Murmu released books on Lokmanthan 2018, detailing the theme and subjects which would be discussing in the coming three days. Speaker of Lok Sabha Smt Sumitra Mahajan will attend the valedictory function. The conclave will conclude on September 30.
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