Vice President of India Shri M.Venkaiah Naidu has conveyed gratitude and indebtedness to ‘Gurus’ including Shri L.K.Advani who shaped his perspectives and life at various stages of his long journey, on the occasion of Guru Purnima tomorrow.

Writing on Facebook, Shri Naidu recalled the mentoring and counseling received from 57 ‘Gurus’ including late Shri Tenneti Viswanatham, a freedom fighter and a leading politician during his early political life and Shri Advani later. Shri Naidu, who lost his mother when he was fifteen months old, described his grandparents as his first ‘Gurus’ and recalled by name another 55 teachers who influenced him during school, college and university days.

Playing glowing tributes to the role of ‘Guru’ in the holistic development of ‘shishyas’ including character building in the Indian tradition of ‘Guru-Shishya Parampara’, Shri Naidu urged the teachers to impart education with a personal touch in the present era of technology. He stressed that teachers have an important role in nation building through moulding of well rounded individuals imbibed with right kind of values and perspectives.

The Vice President underlined that the Internet can never be a substitute to the ‘Guru’. He said; “Internet may provide you with a world of information, but a teacher alone can instill the power of analyzing and evaluating skills which are deemed as higher order skills, which help in navigating through difficult times. Only the Guru can inculcate values, humane thinking, compassion and discipline among the disciples and shows the right path”.

Shri Naidu recalled with reverence the inspiring saga of Guru-Shishya relationship between Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Swami Vivekananda, who had different perspectives to begin with and how in due course Vivekananda came to attribute every bit of his being to the Guru.

Tracing the meaning of ‘Guru’ from Sanskrit roots as one who dispels (Ru) darkness (Gu), Shri Naidu wrote that “Life without a GURU’ is like a path without illumination.

Guru Purnima, celebrated on the occasion of the first full moon of the month of ‘Ashada’, is an important occasion to pay reverence to the Gurus. Veda Vyas, Lord Buddha and the 24^th Jain Tirthankara were born this day.  Buddha delivered his first sermon this day in Sarnath.

Shri Venkaiah Naidu urged all to recall the contributions of Gurus at various stages of their lives and express gratitude for the same on the occasion of ‘Guru Purnima’ tomorrow.

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VRRK/MS/MSY/DP