Governor K Rosaiah on Wednesday emphasised the need to propagate non-violence, truthful living, compassion and high virtues and pass on the legacy to younger generations.
Speaking during the presentation of the 15th Mahaveer Awards at Chinmaya Heritage Centre here, Rosaiah quoted from scriptures of different religions and identified the ideal of non-violence as universal and accepted by all religions.
The Governor added that religion of humanity was above all other religions
and one should follow the path of sincerity, true living and follow ahimsa (non-violence).
During the presentation, Rosaiah also stressed the benefits of vegetarianism and said it had been scientifically established as a means of avoiding heart-related problems and hypertension.
Speaking on the occasion, managing trustee of Bhagwan Mahaveer Foundation, N Sugalchand Jain, said the foundation had till now given away 39 awards spread over 13 States of the country. Earlier during the function, Rosaiah announced the names of four awardees who were honoured for excellence in human endeavour in the fields of education, medicine and social service and contribution to non-violence and vegetarianism.
They include Kolkata-based Dr Chiranjee Lal Bagra for his service to vegetarianism and non-violence, Ranchi-based Dr Anant Sinha for providing medical aid to tribals in Jharkhand’s rural areas, KISS (Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences) for providing education to the underprivileged and Ramakrishna Mission Hospital in Arunachal Pradesh for its services to tribal communities in the State. The awardees were selected by a six-member jury headed by former Chief Justice of India M N Venkatachaliah. Some of the jury members included noted scientist M S Swaminathan, former chief election commissioner T S Krishnamurthy, noted journalist and economist S Gurumurthy and chairman of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Mangalore Kendra, B M Hegde. Each award carried, a citation, a memento and a cash component of Rs 10 lakh.