BHOPAL: Addressing a gathering, including lawmakers, in the Dewas district of Madhya Pradesh, Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama spoke on joyful living and environment conservation while participating in CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s ongoing trek, Narmada Seva Yatra, aimed at the conservation of Narmada river.
“The Madhya Pradesh Government’s efforts towards conserving the holy Narmada River are laudable. Such efforts would go a long way in conserving environment and water,” he said.
Maintaining that conserving environment is of utmost importance, he said “India has since centuries taught ancient civilisations how to live. Now, it needs to teach them how to usher development without damaging the environment.”
He also stressed on enriching India’s rural areas with basic necessities along with health and educational facilities while stressing on the need to work selflessly, rising above caste and religious lines.
The Narmada Seva Yatra, which commenced from the river’s genesis Amarkantak in Anuppur District on December 11 last year, would culminate at the same place on May 11.
Under the Yatra, the Chief Minister is endeavouring to make people aware about the importance of conserving the Narmada
Later, addressing a large gathering of ministers and lawmakers at the state assembly’s auditorium in Bhopal, the spiritual leader urged the state government to focus the work of its happiness department (created last year) among school and college-goers.
He said happiness and peace should come from within. “I learnt it from common sense,” he said.
He also spoke about international conflicts, inter-religious tolerance and caste system. “India needs to showcase to the world how people with different religious affiliations live harmoniously,” he said.
Addressing the gathering after unveiling first-of-its-kind Anand (happiness) calendar of the state government’s happiness department in presence of assembly speaker Dr Sitasaran Sharma and finance minister Jayant Malaiya, the Dalai Lama urged spiritual leaders of India to come out and showcase to world how different religions lived happily here.
“Even a one lakh plus population of Parsis living in India have thrived due to this peaceful co-existence of communities given people like JRD Tata and Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw,” he said.