![Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh, Sri Sri Ravishankar, MoS Home, Kiren Rijiju and British MP Bob Blackwell lighting the traditional lamp to formally inaugurate a seminar held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi on Saturday. Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh, Sri Sri Ravishankar, MoS Home, Kiren Rijiju and British MP Bob Blackwell lighting the traditional lamp to formally inaugurate a seminar held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi on Saturday.](https://cdndailyexcelsior.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/page3-213.jpg)
Excelsior Correspondent
NEW DELHI, Feb 13 : Addressing a seminar organised here today to commemorate the memory of Achyarya Abhinav Gupt and his Kashmir connection, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh said that the common man in Kashmir today yearns for peace, prosperity and progress. Regardless of whichever community the youth of Kashmir belongs, he today relealises the importance of being a part of India’s global march for development and does not wish to miss this opportunity, he observed.
Referring to the displaced Kashmiri Pandit community, Dr. Jitendra Singh reiterated that regardless of wherever the members of the community have settled over the last 25 years, nobody can deny them their right to return to their place of origin and therefore, they deserve to be back to the Valley with dignity and respect. Even the members of the majority community living in the Valley will, in the years to come, realize the erosion of Kashmir’s composite cultural ethos as a result of the exodus of the Kashmiri Pandit community, he added.
Sri Sri Ravishankar, while speaking on the occasion, emphazised that “Shaivism” is a great uniting force and and teachings of Acharya Abinavgupt are relevant even today. If the teachings of Acharya Abinavgupt are imparted to the youth of J&K, they would certainly feel inspired to live in peace and harmony,he said.
Sri Sri Ravishanker also suggested that the books on Acharya Abinav Gupt should be translated in all regional languages including Kashmiri and Dogri.
Kiren Rijiju,MoS Home, said that India is a land of peace and happiness, and that is why people from the West travel all the way to India in search of happiness.
British Member of Parliament , Bob Blackman, who also addressed the gathering, said that United Kingdom considers J&K as an integral part of India and also stands by India in its crusade against terrorism.
Swami Parmanand Saraswati spoke about the importance of spreading knowledge which cannot be compensated by any educational degrees.
Chief Minister of Haryana, M L Kattar, who joined the seminar towards the end, made a brief remark to hail India as a land of spiritualism and lauded the role of Sri Sri Ravishandar in bringing about awareness about great preachers like Acharya Abinav Gupt.