Vice President’s Secretariat
Text of the Vice-President’s Address at Nalanda University, Bihar (Excerpts)
Posted On: 29 SEP 2023 6:53PM by PIB Delhi
Good Afternoon Everyone!
The reflection of our age old ethos ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbaka’ could not have been more vibrant and will ever resonate in our ears. This is the place to send a global message. I could not have been at a better place on this day. My very brief interaction with the faculty made me fully aware that this is the centre of knowledge. Members of the faculty bring on the table not only knowledge, experience and exposure but sublimity and elegance that is essential to acquire wisdom and they are here to give you that. A good faculty and a teacher is always a problem with the students, while they are studying but they remember them the rest of their life. You are lucky to have Professors who will make you sweat, run for every second but when you take a big leap in the outer world, you will remember them every day.
Just a week ago there was epochal development, a game changing legislation. I signed it yesterday a little before midnight because I was to report to Nalanda today. It is a historic development, women in this country have got justice they were striving for decades and unanimously in Rajya Sabha, the upper house and only two with dissensions in Lok Sabha, a historic development. It is not emancipation of women, it is real empowerment for women. It is permitting them to show their spinal strength and the world knows the power of this gender. When I interact with Global Leaders, most of them are from this gender and they are very powerful.
For knowledge, for learning and for education, Nalanda is a unique brand, unrivalled brand. In this field the world has not seen a more potent, powerful brand. Nalanda because its history, the legacy that you have, makes you stand out in the world and people will only salute. You have to take that legacy to a higher level.
I see here the reincarnation of Nalanda that will give us a global foothold to disseminate knowledge, receive faculty members, receive students share with them thought and ideas and to strive for a world that is : Habitat for one, exclusive to none, with hegemony of none and that is what Bharat stands for.
An image of Nalanda ‘Mahavihara’ was found in the backdrop at the greeting area during G-20. The entire world saw it. The Hon’ble President of India, a tribal woman, a virtuous woman, highly eminent, has seen life and very difficult days. I had the occasion to be the Governor with her. She knows the ground reality, she was present there and the backdrop was Nalanda.
Hon’ble Prime Minister representing one-sixth of humanity, 1.4 billion people, a visionary who acts with passion and mission but is also very accurate with execution and that is why big developments are taking place in the largest democracy on Earth. In that backdrop of Nalanda, the leaders were received and greeted which speaks volumes of your brand, acceptability of your brand, non-controversial, non- confrontational, collaborative, cooperative, consensual and that is conducive to growth.
Knowledge is power. Knowledge through education is the most impactful transformational mechanism. If the world has to be changed, if the society has to progress, if inequities are to be levelled, if justice is to reach the last in the line, Knowledge alone can do it. Once you acquire knowledge, execution is never difficult and that is why the countries having focus on Knowledge, Research and Development have enough innovative ideas.
Fortunately, Boys and Girls there is emergence of an ecosystem system now in Bharat that allows you to fully unleash your energy, exploit your talent and potential, realise your aspirations and dreams. There are no handicaps now. During my days, during the days of these senior people, the difficulties were insurmountable. We have difficulties with finances and getting an education but for scholarship to Sainik School, Chittorgarh, I would not have good quality education. Quality education is a divine gift but if that quality education is at a place like Nalanda, then it is much beyond divine gift, obligations on you are correspondingly more as you will have no option but to deliver for the larger good of humanity. When I saw the architecture of this university, it is as unique as its brand. It has several modern aspects and will inspire and motivate many.
The Hon’ble Vice Chancellor had indicated that the campus is designed to be a net zero energy, need zero emission and net zero water and net zero waste campus; the first of its kind in India. Now we have to use the expression first of its kind in the world and that is where India is heading now. I have seen in my lifetime a big change, I was elected to the Parliament of India in 1989 and I’m sure most of the students were not born then and I was a Member of the Union government. What I saw then was disturbing, painful. This country ‘Sone Ki Chidiya‘ as Bharat was known at one point of time had to airlift gold in physical form to be placed to two banks because our Foreign Exchange Reserves were close to 1 Billion USD now we are 600 billion plus and not a cause of concern. That is where we have come now, we could have never imagined.
Just 12-13 years ago as you will know, as you are the enlightened souls, you have no geographical limitations, your mind thinks big and out of box. 13 years ago India was part of the ‘Fragile-Five’ including Brazil, South Africa, Turkey, Indonesia and Bharat and look at the journey, look at the tough terrain we have traversed. In a short decade, we are now Big-Five, from Fragile-Five to the world’s fifth largest economy is no small achievement and this achievement is marked by overtaking our erstwhile colonial rulers-The Great Britain. By the turn of the decade, I have no doubt Bharat will be the third largest economy and no one disputes it.
It is because of Nalanda which is an important part of our history, legacy, and civilization that we come to know that travellers came from China, Korea, Japan, Tibet, Mongolia, Turkey, Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia. Look at the kind of congenial atmosphere here, look at the kind of library it had, and look at the kind of knowledge friendly atmosphere which was present here. You are reincarnating it and I congratulate you, you are doing it very successfully. Your journey will be incremental, geometrically not arithmetically.
The world thrives when there is a cradle of knowledge and wisdom, the world thrives on good virtues, sublimity, tolerance, listening to the other points of view, not questioning the other point of view. It is your prerogative to agree to a point or not to agree but you can never say I cannot listen to another point of view. That being so, education is fundamental. This can emerge only from education. Education has no substitute, education alone leads to wisdom, tolerance and respect to other humankind. Education enlarges your horizon so that you don’t think in terms of a village or a state or a nation and you think globally, you care for global situations.
In the last two years the Prime Minister of this country has made two statements, first is, “This is not the era of expansion”, a statement which means a sovereign country cannot physically takeover, another sovereign country. He made an equally significant statement: “War is no solution, dialogue and diplomacy are the only way out”, and the genesis of this is from Nalanda, the genesis is from your institution. You are rooted in a mechanism that talks about these basic concepts.
It was a delightful moment, everyone was showing concern, there may not be unanimity in the G-20 declaration, there was. This was embedded there and that’s the greatest achievement the largest democracy has got.
Let me tell you Boys and Girls, that the G-20 had several important features. There is no better place than yours to appreciate it. The G-20 to begin with had the European Union as its member. The countries of the European Union had colonized other nations, you know it but they are in G20. However, the countries that were colonized that constitute the African Union were not there. Bharat very thoughtfully, under the visionary leadership Prime Minister Narendra Modi could get a 21st member of G-20 ‘the African Union’. A great achievement for liberty, for human rights, for world unity and global peace and harmony. Look at the second achievement, India Middle-East Europe Economic Corridor that will shape your future and will make available to you opportunities you may not have ever thought of. This was in existence around the time when Nalanda was in existence earlier. It has disappeared, a revival is taking place and the impact of the revival would be by the time Bharat reaches 2047, centenary celebration of Independence, it would have regained its economic prowess and its power as Vishwa-Guru.
Friends, young people here are foot soldiers of democracy. They are the foot soldiers to take Bharat in the world, to the right height for the welfare of one and all. It is on your shoulders that this heavy responsibility lies and I would therefore call up to never ever have fear of failure, fear of fear in itself is very dangerous but fear of failure means you will not try. If you don’t try, not only you are doing injustice to yourself, you are doing injustice to humanity. If you have a brilliant Idea, a great innovative idea, don’t make your mind parking for that idea. No one has ever succeeded in its first attempt. For something extraordinary, something great, something that can move the entire humanity in the right direction, imbibe a sense of positivity, you have to try several times. So never ever fear.
Secondly, it is a time when you must speak your mind. These are the days of Social Media. Narratives are set afloat that dominate the minds of those who may not be gifted intellectually, may not have that knowledge. They may be carried by that narrative. It is your intelligence that has to neutralize such narratives, it is your obligation to this society that you must be proactive to nip in the bud such pernicious, sinister, ideas and narratives. I am sometimes surprised that somebody in one corner of this world having some connection with this country will say India might have a hunger problem. Imagine as Governor State of West Bengal, I know for a fact that from 1st April 2020 more than 800 million people are being fed with rice, wheat and pulse free of cost; and that continues till now. Therefore such narratives we must neutralise. It is our obligation.
We have to be in touch with ground reality. IMF President indicated that India is the brightest spot for the global economy, India is a favourite destination for investment and opportunity. You have to avail that opportunity, you have to make the most out of it, you don’t have to look for the opportunities that are knocking your doors. The World Bank President said that India had achieved in six-years a digital mechanism which could not be achieved in forty-seven years. Coming from a man who knows this game. In 2022, the data shows the digital transactions of the world, India accounted for 46%. Digital transactions are taking place in the USA, UK, France and Germany but we are four times the combined transactions of the US and UK, France and Germany. What an achievement. I therefore call upon every Bhartiya to take pride in these phenomenal developments, they are ground reality. Look at the internet. You are in the premium category, but ordinary Indians living in villages, in semi-urban areas, are also Techno-Savy. And that is why, when our Per Capita Data Consumption was assessed in 2022, our Per Capita Data Consumption was more than the USA and China combined together, that is our achievement.
Since I will be taking questions, I will be brief, but I will say, I will associate with the National Education Policy, it came after more than three decades, taking inputs from thousands of stakeholders. It is a Game-Changer. It has unshackled us from Degree-Orientation. It has kept away debt baggage from us, you can simultaneously prosecute courses, and it is made for Bharat. It is made so that Bharat regains the position of Vishwa-Guru.
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, Father of Indian Constitution, he was the Chairman of the drafting committee, he made very important reflection which every person in pursuit of knowledge and getting education needs to know, I quote:
“That which does not make a man worthy, does not teach equality and morality, is not true education, true education protects humanity in the society becomes the support of the livelihood, teaches man the lessons knowledge of equality, true education creates life in the society.”
I am before a group that has potential to be the epicentre of generating this theme so that it gets viral in a positive sense. Friends, this century belongs to Asia. In Asia, in the emergence of this mechanism, Bharat has to play a very great role and that role for Bharat is something which can be done only by young minds.
Be inquisitive, never stop learning, even if you leave Nalanda, you take it from me your learning begins then also. As human beings enjoined with the task to contribute to the society at large, at the global level, you can never stop learning. Always have respect for others point of view, don’t be judgemental about it. Sometimes my experience is the other’s point of view is the correct point of view. We are doing justice to intellect, to humanity and to growth when we shut our minds to other’s point of view.
Follow your aptitude and conviction. Go as per your aptitude, as per your inner conviction and then you know more than I do; who created Microsoft or Google? I don’t say drop out, it’s not a good thing to drop out but if you drop out then also things get large when people drop education and go after their aptitude and conviction. Fear as I said is a Killer of growth, you have to contribute to growth, you therefore, can’t be in fear.
Be innovative, think out of the box and one thing heavens will fall, I put it to you, historically heavens have never fallen, there is not a single instance where heavens have fallen, why will they fall now? Therefore, don’t be under that fear or trauma.
Boys and girls, you will have to take some proactive steps. Now I have to talk about nationalism, sovereignty. Never allow evolution, growth or generation of a political equity that creates ignorance. Someone is ignorant, we don’t educate him or her, we don’t enlighten and we exploit that ignorance to raise our political equity that cannot be allowed and should never happen. You must keep national interest uppermost, it is not optional, and it is the only way.
यह चिंतन का विषय है, मंथन का विषय है, चिंता का विषय है, कि कुछ लोग संवैधानिक संस्थाओं पर अगर यदि टिप्पणी करते हैं, राजनीतिक चश्मा पहनकर, ऐसा उनको नहीं करना चाहिए। यह आचरण हमारी सांस्कृतिक धरोहर के विपरीत है, ऐसा जो भी कर रहे हैं जाने-अनजाने में, देश का बहुत बड़ा अहित कर रहे हैं। हमारा संकल्प है, हम भारतीयता को, हमारी सांस्कृतिक धरोहर है इसका सर्जन करें और मर्यादित आचरण करें जो व्यक्ति जितने बड़े पद पर है उसका आचरण उतना ही मर्यादित होना चाहिए राजनीतिक फायदा उठाने के लिए कोई भी टिप्पणी करना अच्छी बात नहीं है।
I call upon everyone to be quite responsible when it comes to Constitutional Institutions. We must not look at constitutional functionaries with political prism only to score some brownie political points, that is not acceptable but who can neutralise this? This can be neutralized by the people who are before me. The boys and girls, I will give one illustration and I will take my seat and take your questions.
If you are here, you have to justify your presence, you will have to care for education, you will have to pursue knowledge, you will have to interact with your faculty members, you have to do all of that. I am Chairman, Rajya Sabha, Members have some duty, Members of Parliament of the largest democracy of the planet, one -sixth of humanity, and they are required to exemplify their conduct so that it can be emulated by the people at large.
You would expect a Member of Parliament to engage in debate, discussion, dialogue deliberation, you expect them to contribute to legislation by their brilliant ideas. The last thing you would expect is disturbance and disruption, we are witnessing it. When the Constituent assembly gave us the Constitution. For three years they met, in several sessions, there was no disruption, only deliberations. They have very critical issues, contentious issues, divisive issues, they negotiated at rough curves by engaging in dialogue, discussion.
I therefore appeal to young minds, you are the greatest stakeholders in democratic governance, you are the greatest stakeholders in what the world will be, you are the greatest stakeholders when the peace and order should dictate world affairs, you are the greatest stakeholders to ensure, the natural resources cannot be used because people can financially afford. There has to optimal minimal utilization of natural resources because it is a collective gift, divine gift to one and all, not to those who have rich pockets.
I am grateful to every one of you for your patience, Thank you so much!
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