Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

‘Technology-driven world needs spiritual guidance’

Thiruvananthapuram: The modern-day world which is now driven by technology and a changing value system, needs spiritual guidance to ensure that these changes are harnessed in a harmonious manner for a better living order, Karnataka Assembly Speaker Jagdish Shettar said here on Thursday.

Inaugurating the ‘Navapoojitham meeting’ at Santhigiri Ashram, Mr. Shettar said the world had witnessed tremendous changes in the past decade.

“New technology has given rise to new ambitions and attitudes and changed the thinking pattern of people. Some of these changes are good and some are bad. We have to see how these can be contained in a civilised manner to ensure peaceful co-existence.”

Lauding the work being done by Santhigiri Ashram in various fields, the Speaker said that it could play a key role in promoting cross-cultural and cross-religious exchanges that would help to ensure social harmony and brotherhood.

Mr. Shettar said that limiting spirituality to the narrow confines of religion was a mistake. This, he said, had kept many people away from the true idea of spirituality.

Delivering the presidential address, Agriculture Minister Mullakkara Ratnakaran said that human beings had moved away from nature and this had created a significant discord in society. He stressed on the need to restore this harmony in society through a proper understanding of nature and its symbiotic relationship with humankind.

“We are living in an age where material sciences have defeated social sciences. We have more love for our household gadgets than our family members. Even festivals like Onam have been reduced to mere marketing opportunities,” he said.

Delivering the keynote address, Malankara Orthodox Church Metropolitan Gabriel Mar Gregorios highlighted the urgent need for people to imbibe in their daily lives the values of simplicity and spirituality.

J. Arundhati, MLA, released the latest edition of ‘Umminithankam,’ an ashram publication, while Communist Party of India (Marxist) district secretary Kadakampalli Surendran released a souvenir.

Palayam Imam Janab Moulavi Jamaluddin Mankada; Sivagiri Math president Swami Prakashananda; Manickal panchayat president B. Balachandran; and district panchayat member K. Soman were among those who were present at the function.

Earlier, the second day of the ‘Navapoojitham’ celebrations started at the Santhigiri Ashram with special prayers and ‘pushpanjali’ at 5 am.

The two-day celebrations were inaugurated by Governor of Kerala R.S. Gavai on Wednesday.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Freedom Walk, rooted in IT
Registration on for pookkalam contest
Quota for BPL students from forward castes
TDB aid for kin
Steps to cut power consumption sought
MoU signed
Teachers Day celebrated at SMV School
‘Technology-driven world needs spiritual guidance’
Rape suspect surrenders
‘Karnnabharam’ artistes to be felicitated
Chicken price cut
VS promises land for industries

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu