Vice-President :Differing opinions allows course correction

Delivering his address as Chief Guest at the Culmination of Silver Jubilee Celebrations of Maharaja Agrasen Technical Education Society (MATES) at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi today, Shri Dhakhar highlighted, “Without social harmony, everything else becomes irrelevant. If there is no peace at home, it doesn’t matter how much wealth there is, or how big the house is. Social harmony is our ornament. We have seen this for centuries.

I would urge all of you. At first, it may seem like an abstract idea, but look at your parents, your teachers, your elders, your neighbours, the people you live with, the ones you interact with—if you are tolerant, if you uphold social harmony, then there’s something very special about that. It will be like a rain in which everyone experiences joy.”

“I urge all of you, be receptive, be tolerant; that will always be rewarding. And in every action, ask yourself, “How can I increase social harmony? At the end of the day, we are not robots to promote economy. We are human beings. We are part of a nation that is 5,000-year-old civilization”, he added.

Reflecting on the need to focus on duties as a citizen along with rights, he stated, “ We are very conscious of our rights, but every right is qualified by your duty. And according to me, just as the nation’s interest is above political and personal interests, similarly, your every right, your fundamental right, is superseded by your responsibility. It is your civic duty. Duties must always take precedence over rights.”

Emphasising on the significance of listening to others point of view and terming it as a mechanism for course correction, the Vice-President underscored, “ When a person has their own opinion, they often become so attached to it that they feel, “This is my opinion, how can there be another? My opinion is the right one.” The one who says, “My opinion is the right one” is often the one whose opinion is wrong. We should always be prepared to listen to the other point of view. After all, the person speaking is also expressing their own opinion. And more often than not, young boys and girls, you will find the other point of view to be enriching and correct as well.

“It is never a compulsion that when someone expresses their opinion, we must accept it—no, that’s not necessary. But not listening to their point of view, not reflecting upon it, not contemplating it—this is not a part of our civilization. We never indulge in heart-to-heart differences. Opinions will differ, but differing opinions are a form of energy that allows individuals to course correct. And even if nothing else, it shows you the other side of the coin. Therefore, I will always urge you, please lend your ears before your vocal cords become instantly operational”, he added.

Lauding the newly launched internship scheme and National Education Policy (NEP), Shri Dhankhar underlined, “The National Education Policy evolved after three decades of intense discussions, taking into consideration hundreds, thousands of inputs. What does it provide now? Experiential learning, critical thinking, while enabling industry-academia partnership for research, and the new mechanism which has been evolved for internships for the youth by the government in the last budget is going to be a game-changer. This integration, young boys and girls, of entrepreneurial skills and design thinking across education levels aims to establish entrepreneurship as a viable career path for students”.

Calling the youth and Gen-Z as the driving force behind politics, economy, growth and social harmony, Shri Dhankhar said, “ You are the driving force behind politics and economy, social harmony and growth. I would therefore urge you to kindly set your targets because you are in a Bharat that is performing admirably in sea, on land, in sky and in space. You have a blue economy in the sea. It offers you vistas of opportunities, same about the space economy.”

Exhorting the youth and Gen-Z to adopt economic nationalism and keep the nation first, he added, “ I would urge you, whatever choice you make, believe in your nation, believe in your nationalism. This is greatly of your concern because our economic nationalism is getting compromised, because some people care more about fiscal gain. No fiscal gain can justify compromise of economic nationalism.

Look at our imports in billions that are avoidable. You are the category, young boys and girls, along with Gen-Z, to find a solution. You can take a resolve, we will cut down avoidable imports because of our entrepreneurship. It will have an immediate impact. We will save billions in foreign exchange”.

Our people will get work here in thousands and lakhs. And entrepreneurship will blow. And I would therefore urge, when you think of the economy, think of Swadeshi. Swadeshi should be our basic mantra.”

Underlining the importance of the faculty members over the infrastructure in any institution, Shri Dhankhar said, “an institution is defined by faculty more than the infrastructure. Infrastructure is need of the society, need of the institution but faculty is its fragrance”.

Drawing attention to the wealth creators of the country, he stated, “I have always advocated that those who are involved in our trade, business, commerce, and industry should not feel the heat of the system. They must be respected in society. They are wealth creators, they are job creators, they are economy drivers, they contribute to social harmony, and they have learned the art in this country to give back to society.”

Dr. Mahesh Verma, Vice-Chancellor, GGSIP, University, Dr. Nand Kishore Garg, Founder Chairman and Advisor, MATES, Shri Vineet Kumar Lohia, Chairman, MATES, students and other dignitaries were also present on the occasion.