Coimbatore: Corruption was the main cause, which made India lag behind countries such as China and Japan, Tamil Nadu governor Banwarilal Purohit said here on Tuesday.
“If we ask from the bottom of our hearts why other countries have gone ahead of us, the main reason is corruption,” Purohit said while addressing the inauguration of the year-long celebrations of the 125th anniversary of Swami Vivekananda’s address at the parliament of religions in Chicago on September 11, 1893, held at Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya, Periyanaickenpalayam. “Corruption can be eliminated through honesty, and honesty comes with leading a simple life. A simple and satisfied person would not accept even crores of rupees given to him. A honest person can face many difficulties, but in the end, only an honest man will be a winner. Nation building involved honesty, transparency, selfless service and total devotion to the nation,” he said.
Speaking of Swami Vivekananda and his address in the parliament of religions in 1893, Purohit said the address revealed the sage’s multi-faceted genius. “Swami Vivekananda wanted India to become dynamic. He was a bridge between modernity and tradition, science and religion, old and the young. Vivekananda’s teachings have been a source of inspiration. When the nation was under British rule, he preached to young people to maintain their dignity and be bold.”
Tamil is indeed sweeter than English, the governor quipped, after listening to the speeches of two students, one in English and the other in Tamil.
Vice-chancellor of Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Educational and Research Institute in Howrah Swami Atmapriyananda said it was unique in history that the anniversary of a speech is being celebrated with year-long festivities.
Chairman of the National Institute of Open Schooling Chandra Bhushan Sharma said there are different types of students—bright, slow learners, rich and poor—with their own problems. “Swami Vivekananda said all of us are differentiated only in being exposed to goodness or not,” he said and lauded Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya for nurturing and caring for more than 180 autistic and differently-abled children.
