CHENNAI: He might have perfected the Art of Living, but when asked what could actually make our politicians more “positive”, spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on Wednesday said the solution was ‘behind’ him and asked Gen Y to enter politics and ‘make the change’.
Delivering the closing address of The New Indian Express ThinkEdu Conclave, he said, “Politicians are not some special class or species who have come from another planet. They are one among you, among us. So, one of you must take the lead. If you have the passion for people and service to society, you must come.”
He didn’t merely end there. Explaining that the problem began with the way politicians viewed their ‘jobs’, he told the gathering of starry-eyed students and curious academics,
“Unfortunately in this country and everywhere else in the world, politics is no longer a service, it has lost its sheen and respect, which it had during the time of Kamaraj and Mahatma Gandhi and a few generations before us. That needs to be set right.” He exhorted the youth to make that change, en masse. “Not one or two persons can do it, but all of you collectively can. Youth of this country have the power to bring change. So you need to ask politicians whether they’re here for service or business,” he said, to rapturous applause.
Speaking on ‘corruption’ — another one of India’s burning issues — he called it a debilitating factor that took a toll not only on politics, but also impacted several spheres, obstructing a nation’s progress.
“Corruption has entered every field. One of the biggest reasons is lack of education. It should create a sense of belonging. Sense of belonging is the only way to combat corruption. Corruption begins where this sense of belonging ends and to create this, education must be attuned to human values,” he said and added, “Whether religion should be taught in schools or not is secondary. Students should be taught ethics and values first. That is essential.”
Ravishankar called for an education that was not only sound in knowledge, but also fostered yoga and ayurveda, which, he said, were mediums of imbibing these ethics.
Asked if these practices, which were innately ‘Hindu’, gave it a political colour in the light of Yoga Day being critiqued by some as a political move, he replied that they were merely part of universal education. “Just because yoga or ayurveda are part of Hinduism, it doesn’t mean that it won’t work for a non-Hindu. We are global citizens today and education has no boundaries,” he said, emphasising that wherever values and ethics existed, one should pick it up. He added that many of the ethical and value-centric practices sprouting from Hindu culture followed a scientific trajectory which was why religion and science could co-exist peacefully since time immemorial.
Yoga, the spiritual guru, opined, was very important to be imparted among school and college students as an art that would help spread value education.