CHENNAI: Warning against excessive specialisation in education, Thuglak editor and Vivekananda International Foundation Chairman S Gurumurthy on Thursday said it fragments knowledge and prevents students from developing a holistic understanding of the world.
Delivering the Dr (Mrs) YG Parthasarathy Centenary Year Memorial Lecture on ‘Indian Civilisation: Past Glory or Future Guide’, Gurumurthy said the present education system has reduced education to schools, examinations, marks and careers, while overlooking its larger purpose of building character and values.
Gurumurthy said India’s family system, dietary practices, cultural traditions and social values had enabled India to sustain a large population despite limited land and resources.
Comparing India with the United States, he said American society was held together primarily by institutions and laws, whereas India’s social fabric was strengthened by its civilisational continuity and shared cultural memory.
Veteran theatre and cinema artiste AR Srinivasan (93), Ramcons Construction founder and chairman K Ramanujam, and Rajan Eye Care Hospital chairman and medical director Dr Mohan Rajan were honoured on the occasion.