Hummingbird News Desk
BIRBHUM, 24 FEB: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh addressed the students of Visva Bharati University during their convocation ceremony, encouraging them to innovate, develop new technologies, and establish start-ups to contribute to the government’s efforts towards making India a more powerful and self-reliant nation.
Mr Singh drew inspiration from Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore and urged the students to move forward with vision, knowledge, Indian traditions, and values, while striving towards the overall objective of taking the nation up the development ladder.
He emphasized the importance of character building, knowledge, and wealth, urging the students to work as a team, not get swayed away by successes and failures, and move forward in a balanced way without letting ego or arrogance come in their way.
“Character building, knowledge, and wealth should be given equal weightage. The path of India’s progress goes through the youth. The stronger you are, the stronger our country will be,” he said.
Mr Singh also urged the students to spread the fragrance of Visva Bharati wherever they went, describing it as their ethical duty. He termed Visva Bharati University as a physical manifestation of the philosophical legacy of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore and an embodiment of his knowledge and wisdom.
He elaborated on Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore’s idea of nationalism and universal humanism, emphasizing that Indian nationalism has been based on the feeling of cooperation and human welfare. He described Indian nationalism as cultural, not territorial, and focused on human welfare, inclusivity, and universal welfare.
Mr Singh also mentioned Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore’s vision to promote industrial development and modern science and technology for the development of the nation, pointing out that his futuristic views at the time are relevant today.
He asserted that India is moving forward on the path of development by setting new standards in the field of science and technology and is ‘Making in India, Making for the World’. He expressed hope that India will become the world’s top economy by 2047, a true tribute to Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore.
“Today, we are progressing continuously as the 5th largest economy in the world. According to a recent report of investment firm Morgan Stanley, India will become the third largest economy in the next 4-5 years. I am hopeful that we will become the world’s top economy by 2047. This will be a true tribute to Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore,” he said.
The defence minister also touched upon Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore’s visionary ideas of social transformation, women empowerment, and elimination of caste discrimination, which have been an inspiration for the government.
He added that the great philosopher’s education-related thoughts work as a guiding light even today, emphasizing the need for education to reach truth and beauty and ensure social welfare.
“The Government rolled out the National Education Policy 2020, which pays full attention to the personality development of children and proper teacher-pupil ratio,” he said.
The convocation ceremony ended with the students inspired to make a positive impact on India’s progress towards self-reliance and development.
Tags: #VBU #ViswaBharatiUniversity #Convocation #RajnathSingh #DefenceMinister #NEP
