BENGALURU: Bengaluru Rural MP Dr C N Manjunath said recital of Vedas and Upanishads were one of the factors responsible for the success of the Chandrayaan-3 Mission.
Delivering the keynote address at the convocation ceremony of Karnataka Samskrit University in Bengaluru on Tuesday, the BJP MP said, “Sanskrit is not just a language; it is an expression of our highest moral values, ethics, and cultural heritage. In fact, when Chandrayaan-3 was launched on August 23,2023, Vedas and Upanishads were chanted to see that our Vikram lander lands on the south pole of the moon. Whatever may be the science, the faith, hope and trust we have in these traditions is tremendous. Historically, Sanskrit has been at the heart of India’s intellectual and cultural evolution. It is believed that one of the earliest centres of Sanskrit learning flourished in ancient institutions like Nalanda University.”
Advising students to develop skills to get employment, Dr Manjunath said, “UG, PG and PhD students must develop skills that can help them get employment. India’s population has a majority of youngsters in the age group of 20 to 30 years, but many of them, despite being graduates, are not able to secure jobs. More drivers, plumbers, electricians and others are able to get jobs because they are skilled. Hence, graduates must also equip themselves with skills.”
Emphasising that research has taken a back seat in all universities due to paucity of funds, Dr Manjunath said, “It is imperative on the part of both the state and UGC to allocate sufficient funds for research activities. Without research, there is no progress, no innovation and no new thoughts.
Research is the lifeline of all discoveries otherwise the learning process will become stagnant. Allocation of funds for research activities in universities is least in India compared to the rest of the world.”
Around 53 students were awarded gold medals instituted by various endowments for securing top ranks in different disciplines. A total of 36 research scholars were awarded PhD (Vidyavaridhi) degrees in various fields such as Sanskrit, Vedas, philosophy, literature and yoga.
Meanwhile, 917 undergraduate and postgraduate students of 2023-24 and 2024-25 were conferred degrees, including Shastri (BA), Acharya (MA) and MSc in Yoga and Yoga Therapy.
Governor and Chancellor Thaawarchand Gehlot awarded honorary D Litt to six distinguished scholars. Among the awardees were Bhikkhu Ananda Thero, Pushpa Dixit and Vyasanakere Prabhanjanacharya for 2023-24 and Nirmalanandanatha Swamiji, Vidwan Shingappa H M and Prof Sukant Kumar Senapati for 2024-25.
Vice-Chancellor Dr S Ahalya, registrars Prof V Girish Chandra and Dr Ramakrishna Bhat and others were present.