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Shourie favours bigger role of intellectuals in development
RAJYA SABHA MP and former Union Minister Arun Shourie said that intellectual community in universities was reluctant to be a part of the policy framing process in the country.
RAJYA SABHA MP and former Union Minister Arun Shourie said that intellectual community in universities was reluctant to be a part of the policy framing process in the country.
He was delivering lecture at a seminar on ‘Role of Universities in National Policy Making Process in a Democratic Country’ at Arts Faculty auditorium in Banaras Hindu University here on Sunday. Mahamana Malviya Mission of BHU, in association with Arundhati Vasheeshtha Anusandhan Peeth had organised the seminar.
Shourie said that the academic world was the guiding force behind the development of any country but the intellectual community was not doing much in this direction. He said that there was a sort of intellectual cowardice due to which intellectuals were not concentrating on various challenges being faced by the country.
He said that the intellectuals in universities were required to guide the society and change the intellectual climate besides reviewing and justifying the wrong conceptions about our culture and tradition. “But very little is being done by the intellectual class on these issues”, he said.
“Take any issue, be it national security, strategic policy or any other policy, what is the contribution of intellectuals in these areas?” asked Shourie, adding that there was not a single useful piece written on the strategic policies of China, Pakistan, Bangladesh or Myanmar by the intellectuals in the country.
He said a lot of work was yet to be done to fulfill the dreams of nation builders such as Mahatma Gandhi, Swami Ramkrishna Paramhans or Swami Vivekanand. He said that we should investigate, interact, organise and cooperate to counter the challenges being faced by the country.
Ashok Singhal of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad said that universities were formulating national policies in democratic countries but not in India. He said there was an urgent need of research on the traditional beliefs of Hindus.
Some forces were trying to finish off the Hindu culture but nothing concrete was done to safeguard the interest of Hindus, he said, adding that the tradition of temple institution was being eradicated and that was why around three lakh temples were acquired by the government in the last four decades.Ex V--C of Gorakhpur University, Prof. BM Shukla presided over the seminar.
