Naidu wants community service made compulsory in schools, colleges

NEW DELHI: Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday suggested making community service compulsory in schools and colleges, as he pitched for inculcating the spirit of "sharing and caring" among the youth. Addressing a gathering here at the release of 'Sing, Dance and Pray: In the Inspirational Story of Srila Prabhupada, a biography of the ISKON founder, he said the Indian civilisation stands for universal values of unity, peace and social harmony, and called for a "spiritual renaissance" to preserve and propagate these age-old values. The vice president asked the youth to take inspiration from great saints and spiritual leaders such as Srila Prabhupada and imbibe qualities of discipline, hard work, patience and empathy to become better human beings.

“You must always rise above narrow considerations of caste, gender, religion and region and work for bringing unity, harmony and peace in society,” he said, according to a statement issued by the Vice President's Secretariat. Describing Srila Prabhupada as a torchbearer of egalitarian thought, Naidu said he embraced those discarded by society and brought joy and fulfilment to their lives.

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Extolling Prabhupada for his untiring efforts towards universal peace and harmony through the propagation of Vedic knowledge and culture, Naidu said, “The only criterion he stressed was bhakti, or love of god.” Praising ancient scriptures for their transcendental spiritual value, Naidu said for millennia they have been manuals directing people to lead an ideal life based on ethics and values.