VP Venkaiah Naidu recalls role of 'Gurus' including BJP leader LK Advani in his life

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu has conveyed gratitude and indebtedness to ''Gurus'' (teachers) including veteran BJP leader LK Advani who shaped his perspectives towards life at various stages of his long journey, on the occasion of Guru Purnima which falls on Sunday.

"Writing on Facebook, Naidu recalled the mentoring and counselling 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," a press release from the Vice President's Secretariat, said.

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.

The Vice President paid glowing tributes to the role of ''Guru'' in the holistic development of ''shishyas'' including character building in the Indian tradition of ''Guru-Shishya Parampara''. Naidu urged teachers to impart education with a personal touch in the present era of technology.

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He stressed that teachers have an important role in nation-building through moulding of well-rounded individuals imbibed with the right kind of values and perspectives.

The Vice President underlined that the Internet can never be a substitute for 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".

Naidu recalled with reverence the inspiring saga of the 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.

(With ANI inputs) (PTI Photo)

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