THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu has urged people to put the nation above everything else. Naidu said he was not speaking about geographical borders but the idea of considering all people living in the country as Indians irrespective of their caste, creed, sex, religion and region.
Delivering the first P Parameswaran Memorial Lecture organised by the Bharatheeya Vichara Kendram here on Thursday, the Vice-President emphasised the need for an India that is free from social evils like casteism and corruption and takes pride in its rich cultural and spiritual heritage.
He remembered Parameswaran as a tapasvi and humanist par excellence, adding that his life inspires people to put the nation above everything. “We should draw inspiration from the life, teachings and preachings of Parameswaranji. Let’s pay tribute to him by organising seminars and symposiums to inspire the new generation to follow his ideals,” he said.
In Kerala, the Vice-President said, Advaita was made an inspiration both in intellectual and social reformation strata by Sree Narayana Guru. “But for Sree Narayana Guru, Kerala would have drowned in the darkness of social and intellectual decline. Sri Parameswaranji, in his book titled “Sree Narayana Guru, the Prophet of Renaissance ‘’ puts the life and teachings of Narayana Guru in the right perspective. This book highlights Guru as a torch-bearer of peaceful social transformation in modern times, a legacy which can be linked with our ancient Rishis,” he said.
Naidu recalled P Parameswaran as a great institution builder. “Parameswaranji popularised Gita as a comprehensive life science which can provide a solution to the social problems in Kerala and rest of India. For this purpose, he initiated many seminars, symposiums and started panchayat-level Swadhyaya Samithis. He wanted to combine Sanskrit, Yoga and Gita studies for which he coined a new term ‘Samyogi’,” he said.
The Vice-President said P Parameswaran lived a simple, disciplined saintly life throughout his public career spanning seventy years. Even though a visionary, statesman and intellectual giant, he was affable and accessible to one and all, he said.“I call upon the present generation to follow the path shown by Sri Parameswaranji and strive to build a stronger, happier and prosperous India - an India that is free from social evils like casteism and corruption. The real tribute to him would be to follow his ideals, values, simplicity, honesty and integrity,” he said.
Governor Arif Mohammed Khan presided over the function. He remembered P Parameswaran as a seer who provided insights into social, religious and cultural aspects of human life. Union Minister V Muraleedharan, O Rajagopal, MLA, Bharatheeya Vichara Kendram joint director R Sanjayan and general secretary K C Sudhir Babu were present.