The Hindu : Karnataka News : Venkaiah Naidu hails Vysyas' contribution to society

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Aug 23, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka

Venkaiah Naidu hails Vysyas' contribution to society

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE, AUG. 22. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President, M. Venkaiah Naidu, said today that the Vysya community was one of the few communities that refused to use caste as a tool for social and political advancement, and many stalwarts from the community who contributed to the State's economic and social progress were living proof of the axiom - service of society is service of god.

Mr. Naidu, who was the chief guest at a function to felicitate B.L.S. Murthy, businessman and philanthropist, on his 70th birthday, described Mr. Murthy, who is a recipient of the Padma Shri Award, as the epitome of "Manava seva madhava seva" or service of society is service of god.

If Mr. Murthy, who was introduced as the "onion king" by G.M. Rao, businessman and philanthropist, was introduced to him five years ago, perhaps, the BJP would not have lost the election in Delhi, Mr. Naidu said, referring to how the skyrocketing price of onions then had led to the party's debacle.

He said the work of Mr. Murthy, whose BLS Murthy Foundation is an umbrella of many philanthropic and social service organisations running schools, colleges, old age homes and so on, was proof that Indian culture was a time-tested one that cared for all constituents of society - the poor, the aged, and the underprivileged.

Inspiration

Mr. Murthy's was a work of inspiration and worthy of emulation. "Whether you are a politician, educationist, lawyer, doctor, teacher, you must do your work with a missionary zeal. That is the message of today's function," Mr. Naidu said.

He said such works were a reminder to policy makers to change the way they solved problems.

"I know we tend to see flyovers and bridges as solutions to the growing population. But we need to look at population control as the issue, and prevent the disease not just cure it," he said.

The foundation's contributions to many institutions and service projects were given away on the occasion.

The Karnataka Arya Vysya Charitable Trust, the Lions Eye Hospital, the Ashaktha Poshaka Sabha, the Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology, and the Jeevan Sandhya Trust received cheques for projects and services.

Mr. Rao, who heads the GMR group of institutions and the GMR Foundation, spoke. A documentary on Mr. Murthy was screened.

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