People trying to make the word Hindu 'untouchable': Venkaiah Naidu
Some people are trying to make the word Hindu "untouchable" and "intolerable", Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu said Sunday as he stressed on the need for preserving the true values of Hinduism to alter "ill-informed" opinions and attitudes. While addressing the concluding session of the second World Hindu Congress in Chicago, Naidu said India believes in universal tolerance and accepts all religions as true.
"Share and care is the core of the Hindu philosophy," Naidu said, outlining the important aspects of Hinduism. "Some people are trying to make the very word Hindu untouchable, intolerable. That's why one has to articulate and see the values that espouse and present the bucket of ideas in correct perspective so that the world has the most authentic perspective," he said.
Venkaiah Naidu acknowledged that certain weaknesses have crept into the society. "We should also know others' experience and try to improve upon others' philosophy," Naidu said, adding the Indian culture and religion has given the liberty to imbibe the best practices from other communities. He said "ill-informed opinions and attitudes need to be altered" to the real significance of the religion.
"The philosophy that the entire world is the whole family, and that the God lives in each living and non-living entity of the world, tolerance and acceptance of plurality, realization that there is unity in diversity, and the ability to adapt and absorb, are some of the key aspects of Hinduism," Naidu said. Hindu Dharma, he asserted, teaches how to co-exist harmoniously with nature.
More than 2,500 delegates and 250 speakers from over 60 countries participated in the three-day World Hindu Congress coinciding with the 125th anniversary of the historic speech of Swami Vivekananda in Chicago in 1893. "As Swami Vivekananda said in his inaugural speech at Chicago on September 11, 1893, ours is a country that has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance," Naidu said.
The next World Hindu Congress would be held in Bangkok in November 2022. In a proclamation, the Governor of Illinois declared September 11, 2018, as Swami Vivekananda Day.
