THE Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that one has to be restrained and sensitive while in power. Addressing the Visva-Bharati University convocation virtually, the Prime Minister said, “Responsibility comes with knowledge and power. Just as one has to be restrained and sensitive while in power, every scholar also has to be responsible towards those who do not have knowledge.” Addressing the students, he said, “Your knowledge and skill can make a nation proud or can push society into the darkness of slander and ruin.”

 

“Many who are spreading terror and violence across the world are highly educated, highly skilled. On the other hand there are people who are risking their lives and are stationed at hospitals and labs to save people from a pandemic like COVID,” Modi said. He explained that this is not about ideology but mindset, whether it is positive or negative, there is scope for both and paths are open for both. He urged the students to decide whether they want to be part of the problem or the solution. “If you put the nation first, then every decision will move towards some solution,” he said. The Prime Minister advised the students not to be afraid of taking a decision. “As long as the youth of the country have the passion to innovate, take risks and move forward, there is no worry about the future of the country,” he said.

 

Calling Bengal an inspiration for “Ek Bharat-Shreshth Bharat”, the Prime Minister said that the Visva Bharati University will play a big role in the 21st century knowledge economy, taking Indian knowledge and identity to every corner of the world. Modi called upon the students of the prestigious institute to prepare a vision document for next 25 years about the 25 biggest goals of Visva Bharati in 2047. The PM also urged the students to always remember that knowledge, thought and skill are not static but a dynamic and continuous process. He pointed out that Visva Bharati for Gurudev (Rabindranath Tagore) was not just a knowledge imparting institution but an attempt to reach the topmost goal of Indian culture, which is to achieve oneself.