India cannot afford to be divided over languages, says VP Dhankhar

Puducherry: India, an aspirational nation in the world, cannot afford to be divided on the issue of languages, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar said on Tuesday and appealed to the people to consider the future well-being of the country and "get over this storm."

Also, he made a strong pitch for implementing the National Education Policy 2020 in letter and spirit, as it was a "game changer" in the education sector that could spur further development of the country.

Speaking at Pondicherry University, Dhankhar said, "NEP is not a policy of any government, and it allows our youth to fully exploit their talents and energy, and gives importance to all languages," he said.

Dhankar, also the Chancellor of the university, said this in a veiled reference to political parties that oppose the implementation of NEP in the union territory, claiming the policy sought to impose Hindi.

The NEP, introduced after a gap of three decades, is a watershed moment in India's academic journey, he said.

"India is the most aspirational nation in the world as a result of phenomenal development in the last decade," the Vice President said and asked, "How can we be divided on languages?"

No country in the world was as rich as India when it came to languages. Sanskrit has global importance, and this language, along with Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Odia, Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Bengali, and Assamese, were 11 classical languages.

"In Parliament, the discourse is allowed by the members in 22 languages. Our languages indicate inclusivity. Sanatan teaches to be in togetherness for the same sublime purpose," Dhankhar added. He appealed to everyone to "soul search, be reflective, and rise to the occasion and marvel at our great accomplishments."

Further, he said: "Look at our destination, take into account the future, and let us get over the storm."

On the NEP, the Vice President urged the states that have not implemented it "to rethink, revisit, because the NEP is a game changer".

"I appeal to the states which have not adopted and those which are implementing it to realise what is given in the policy. Let our boys and girls be fully aware of the benefits of the policy through workshops," he said.

The NEP is the best policy in the world as it offers the opportunity to pursue multiple courses and optimal utilisation of time.

He pointed out that the political leadership should bear in mind that there was no room for confrontation and that disruption and disturbance were not the mechanism which the framers of the Constitution taught us.

The VP has called upon universities to foster multi-disciplinarity, critical thinking, skill development, and innovation. He said that during the current march to achieve Vikshit Bharath in 2047, driven by a knowledge economy, our goal should be the creation of institutions of excellence.

The Vice President said that there was no greater equaliser than education. He appealed to industries, corporates, and business houses to invest in the education sector using the Corporate Social Responsibility scheme.

He said that there should be no endeavour to commodify or commercialise education as the mission should align with India`s gurukul system with emphasis on character development along with knowledge education. He said that the youth should come out of silos as silos restricted the vision to opportunities although opportunities were expanding exponentially for the youth in the country.

He praised the Pondicherry Central University for getting 'A plus' grade accreditation from the NAAC. This is a significant recognition for the University`s academic excellence and commitment. Lt governor K Kailashnathan, Chief Minister N Rangasamy, and Vice Chancellor of the University P Prakash Babu were among those who spoke.

The Vice President, earlier, had an informal chat with a select team of newspersons before proceeding to the University. He said that the fourth estate was very fundamental to democracy and humanity. "We should keep our tempers down. A healthy democracy hinges on discussions and deliberations," he said.