On Sunday, Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu proposed making community service required in schools and universities as part of his campaign to instil the value of “sharing and caring” in young people. Speaking to a crowd at the publication of Srila Prabhupada’s biography, Sing, Dance, and Pray: In the Inspirational Story of Srila Prabhupada, he said that Indian civilization represents universal values of peace, unity, and social harmony and called for a “spiritual renaissance” to preserve and spread these age-old principles. The vice president urged the young people to imitate the virtues of discipline, perseverance, patience, and empathy exhibited by great saints and spiritual figures like Srila Prabhupada in order to become better people.
According to a statement released by the Vice President’s Secretariat, he added, “You must always rise above limiting notions of caste, gender, religion, and area and work for creating unity, harmony, and peace in society. As a champion of egalitarian philosophy, Srila Prabhupada, according to Naidu, welcomed individuals who were shunned by society and brought happiness and fulfilment into their life.
In praising Prabhupada for his tireless efforts to promote Vedic knowledge and culture and bring about world peace and harmony, Naidu remarked, “The sole criterion he stressed was bhakti, or love of god.” Naidu praised the transcendental spiritual worth of the ancient writings, saying that they have served as guides for people to live moral, ethical, and ideal lives for millennia.
