NEW DELHI, Jan 3: In the wake of a series of “hate speeches” attacking the members of the minority community, the Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu on Monday came down heavily against those making such comments saying it goes against the country’s culture, Constitution and ethos, and that “every person has the right to practise and preach his or her faith.”
Addressing an event marking the 150th death anniversary of Saint Kuriakose Elias Chavara in Kottayam, Kerala, the Vice-President said, “Hate speech and writings are against (the country’s) culture, heritage, tradition and Constitutional rights and ethos. Every person has the right to practise and preach his or her faith in the country. Practise your religion but don’t abuse and indulge in hate speech and writings,’’ he said, expressing his “disapproval of attempts to ridicule other religions and create dissensions in society”.
Saying Saint Chavara, the 19th century Catholic priest, philosopher and social reformer, “has taught us that peaceful human relationships are sacred and more important than anything else,” Naidu said, “Today, we need a Chavara in every community — a towering individual with a vision to unite all sections of society socially and culturally, and take the country forward.”
There had been reports of several Hindu seers delivering inflammatory speeches at “Dharma Sansads” held at Haridwar, Raipur and several other places in the country. In several cases, the speakers even called upon Hindu youths to rise up in arms to fight against the Muslims to protect Hinduism. There also were instances of some right wing leaders making derogatory comments against the members of the minority community.
Observing that there was a dire need to inculcate the spirit of service from an early age, Naidu suggested that once the pandemic is over, both government and private schools must make community service of at least 2-3 weeks compulsory for students.
He said the philosophy of sharing and caring is at the core of India’s age-old culture and must be widely propagated. “For us, the whole world is one family as encapsulated in our timeless ideal, ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’. It is with this spirit that we should move forward together,” he said.
Paying tributes to Saint Chavara, the Vice-President said, “This iconic spiritual and social leader of Kerala, whom people considered a saint during his lifetime, was a true visionary in every sense of the term.” He recalled that Saint Chavara’s social and educational services were not restricted to his community alone. In 1846, the Catholic priest, displaying an “open-mindedness of vision,” started a Sanskrit school at Mannanam in Kottayam, Naidu said.
Naidu urged other states to take a cue from Kerala in the fields of education, social justice and women’s empowerment as outlined in the pioneering initiatives of Saint Chavara and social reformer Narayana Guru. “Their path-breaking work proves that every state can be transformed into an engine of growth and progress and that this can be achieved through the social and educational empowerment of women and youth belonging to poorer sections of society,” he said.
(Manas Dasgupta)
