NEW DELHI: Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday urged NRI students from Gulf countries to act as India’s brand ambassadors and uphold cultural ethos and values in faraway lands.
”Follow the laws, rules and regulations of whichever country you live in and at the same time cherish and value the traditions and spirit of your motherland.
You must act as India’s brand ambassadors and uphold our cultural ethos and values in faraway lands,” he advised NRI students from Gulf countries who are on a tour of India.
The Vice President implored the students to have first and foremost allegiance to the constitutional values of the country. ”This commitment to the constitution, to your fellow human beings and the unity and integrity of the nation, is the essence of true nationalism, of true patriotism.
‘Sarva Dharma Sama Bhava’ is in every Indian’s DNA,” he added. The students are winners of the Proud to Be an Indian 2019 contest conducted by Asianet News.
With the world having shrunk into a global village, Mr Naidu urged the students to be global citizens but at the same time have a thorough understanding of India’s glorious civilisation, ancient past, history, culture, traditions, customs and festivals as also the wisdom handed down from the Vedas and Upanishads.
”One corollary of the concept of the whole world being seen as one family is the attitude of empathy, of sharing and caring, of a sharp focus on alleviating the agony of fellow human beings,” he added.
Asserting that it was time to give up ‘colonial mindset’ and encourage the talent, skills and craftsmanship inherently present in every Indian, he opined that ”along with preserving our traditional values which play a strong role in India’s social fabric such as selflessness, peace and respecting elders and teachers, we need to promote gender equality, inclusion and openness.”
Stating that India was at a juncture in its history when it cannot be pulled back to the dark ages by abhorrent social practices such as discrimination, bigotry and prejudice, the Vice President urged young people to break free of the regressive dogmas of caste discrimination and gender-based violence. ‘Imbibe new and progressive values and build a better tomorrow’, he told the students. (AGENCIES)
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