Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 7: Member of Parliament and former Sadar-e-Riyasat, Dr Karan Singh, today stressed the need for value based education in the country for moral and spiritual growth of the youth.
“Personally I feel that moral values preached in religious books of different faiths, should be taught as subject in the educational institutions so that our younger generation may inculcate these values,” he said in response to a query during interactive session after his lecture on `The Message of the Bhagavadgita-contemporary relevance’, here at Jammu University.
The lecture was organized by Maharaja Gulab Singh Memorial Trust in connection with 123rd birth anniversary of Maharaja Gulab Singh, the founder of Jammu and Kashmir State.
Quoting an English proverb, Dr Karan Singh said that prohibition of religion based education in regular schooling, as per the Indian Constitution, does not mean that we should also desist from teaching even value based lessons mentioned in holy books like Gita, Quran, Bible or Granth Sahib.
“Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. Our younger generation should be imparted moral and spiritual teachings, being preached by religious books of different faiths,” he stressed.
In response to another query by his son and MLC Vikramaditya Singh, who was among the audience on the occasion, Dr Karan Singh said that for bringing a positive energy within self, youth need to keep the feeling of disappointment away from them.
Earlier, in his enlightening lecture, Dr Karan Singh threw light on the message of Bhagavadgita and its contemporary relevance. He described Gita as Pole Star, which enlightens us with tremendous knowledge through its 700 Shalokas. “It is a Shastra of struggle, which speaks of teacher-student relation, duty (Karma), forms of Yoga as integral and complete surrender to the God,” he said and added that Gita was beyond the limits of caste, religion or region and moreover narrated by the God (Lord Krishna) himself.
Dr Singh also opined that relevance of Gita was more in the present era as the situation similar to Mahabharat times was prevalent these days. Summarizing the Gita as the theory of correct action, a pathway of internal yoga, a gospel of surrender and repeated assurance of divine interventions, he concluded the lecture by reciting a verse from the scripture, which says, “Fear not! I am always with you”.
In his presidential remarks, Jammu University Vice-Chancellor Prof R D Sharma also stressed the need for adopting the teachings of Bhagavadgita in life and said that it would not only transform an individual but the whole world.
Earlier, Brig J S Rajput informed about the Maharaja Gulab Singh Memorial Lecture Series, started by Maharaja Gulab Singh Memorial Trust. Today’s lecture was second in the series.
Dr Shyam Narayan Lal introduced the speaker while the vote of thanks was delivered by Prof Suman Jamwal of the Department of History.
The lecture was attended by prominent citizens, faculty members, students and scholars of the Jammu University,
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