Learn from the life and virtues of Lord Rama and move on righteous path shown by Him : Vice President
The Vice President of India, M. Venkaiah Naidu today asked the new generation to learn from the life and virtues of Lord Rama and move on the righteous path shown by Him for a successful and fulfilling life.
Launching the book titled “Thavaasmi: Life and Skills through the lens of Ramayana” virtually, Naidu said that Lord Rama’s life, words and actions define how “Satya” (Truth) and “Dharma” (Righteousness) can become part of everyone’s life. “His relationship with parents, brothers, wife, friends and enemies as well as his gurus shows how an ideal person would respond to various challenges in life and emerge stronger”, he added.
Referring to Lord Rama as Maryada Purushottama, the Vice President said that he was a great ruler who epitomized good governance and always remains in people’s hearts.
He described Ramayana as an immortal epic embedded in India’s collective cultural heritage and underlined the fact that the values espoused by Lord Rama have inspired numerous poets and saints to compose Ramayana in different languages. “There is probably no other epic in the world that has been re-told, re-sung and re-woven in so many fascinating ways”, the Vice President said.
He said the Valmiki Ramayana was not just ‘Adi Kavya’ (first epic) but also the ‘Anadi Kavya’ because it is timeless, eternal and does not lose its relevance in any life context. “It enchants the scholarly as well as the common, unlettered citizen”, the Vice President added.
He said that Ramayana motivates the young and old with positive thoughts leading to living a fuller life. “We celebrate the victory of goodness, righteousness, and harmony over evil, mischief and disruptive violence”, he further highlighted.
Naidu specifically referred to the episode wherein Lakshamana requests Lord Rama to stay back in Lanka after the defeat of Ravana, but Lord Rama refuses by saying ‘Janani Janmabhumishcha Swargadapi Gariyasi’ – meaning ‘the Mother and motherland are greater than even the Heaven’.
Exhorting the people to take inspiration from these words, Naidu asked them to always remember the country where they were born, no matter where they go in search of employment opportunities or what position they hold.
The book “Thavaasmi…” is in four volumes and is prepared by a team of young professionals after years of extensive research. It presents the story of Ramayana as a dialogue between a father and daughter with a number of exercises making it an interesting learning experience.
Expressing his concern over the waning habit of reading bed time stories, the Vice President said that ‘Thavaasmi…’ is an attempt to revive it. “These four books are also good bedtime stories, he said.
He complimented the author of the books Shri Rallabandi Srirama Chakradhar, co-author, Smt. Amara Sarada Deepthi and the entire Team Thavaasmi for bringing out the excellent publication.
K V Chowdary, Former Central Vigilance Commissioner, R Srirama Chakradhar, author, Thavaasmi, Smt. A Sarada Deepthi, co-author, Thavaasmi , team of Thavaasmi and students and teachers from various schools were among those who participated in online program.
Following is the full text of speech –
“I am happy to launch the four volumes of Thavaasmi that give the readers a very good insight into the great Indian epic, Ramayana.
Ramayana is among the oldest epics in the world. It is the story of an extraordinary human being who led an exemplary life despite innumerable challenges in life. It also has many characters who exemplify different human values.
The authors have created an interesting narrative that tells the story of Ramayana but also promotes reflections and analysis of the underlying message.
The story of Ramayana is presented as a dialogue between a father and daughter with a number of exercises that make this a learning experience. The reader is offered different thought provoking tools like Comparison Mirrors, Introspection Mirrors, Media Reporting, Character Presentation and Research questions. These facilitate introspection and a deeper understanding of this great epic.
The four books are also good bedtime stories. We are gradually losing the tradition of bed time stories. Thavaasmi is an attempt to revive it.
Sri Rama is called Maryada Purushotthama or the best of persons with excellent conduct.
