THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Observing that scientific temper and rational thought are “under threat” in the country, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has called for an introspection by the entire population. “India is the first country to explore the south pole of the Moon. Still, incidents like human sacrifice and mob attacks based on superstitions occur here. This paradox is because we failed to propagate scientific thinking despite making big accomplishments in science. It is time for an introspection,” he said.
Pinarayi was inaugurating the public meeting as part of the 169th birth anniversary celebrations of Sree Narayana Guru at Chempazhanthy in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday.
“Concerted efforts are being made to bring back what we had rejected a century ago... The theory of evolution is being discarded from textbooks, and it’s being replaced by unscientific blunders,” he said, recalling a line from a poem by Kumaranasan, a disciple of the Guru, which read “Yesterday’s blunders could become today’s customs, and tomorrow’s science.”
Pinarayi said the ethnic violence in Manipur and communal attacks in Haryana have tarnished India’s image globally.
“The violence in Manipur and Haryana is worrying. Hate has spread into classrooms in UP. We are standing in front of the world with our heads hanging in shame,” he said.
Guru’s ideals will help the country regain values of humanity. Racist violence, rape and women being paraded naked are occurring in places that did not witness the renaissance movement, the CM said.
“Why is this not happening in Kerala? The state stands apart because of the renaissance values propagated by Guru and the progressive political parties that nurtured those values,” he said. The CM urged people to take the message of Guru across the world for the betterment of humankind.