Experts stressed the need for being at peace with oneself and with the family to ensure peace in the community, at a panel discussion organised as part of the Sarvodaya Youth Leadership Summit of Shanti Ashram here on Thursday.
Speaking on “Community as a resource for theory and practice in building peace” at PSGR Krishnammal College for Women, they focussed on the need for people to be aligned internally and connected to oneself to become better human beings who could serve society.
Narrating experiences from their own life, the speakers brought out ways by which one can make himself a better person and also better for others in the community.
“If you can do the best for yourself, you become a leader. Hence, it is necessary to make yourself a good person before you go to serve society”, was the take of J.S. Bhuvaneswaran, medical director of PSG Institute of Medical Sciences and Research.
Relating an experience with pride and emotion, where after a slight hesitation he saved a drowning calf, P. Sathyan, founder, Sathyan Eye Care Hospital and Coimbatore Glaucoma Foundation, said that people should not hesitate to take up social work. “We think twice before moving out of our comfort zone. Once we do something for the community, we will realise that more than our professional work, it is that act, which will give us the most satisfaction and happiness,” he said.
Focussing on the need for improving processes and procedures, A. Raghunandanan, joint general manager, Larsen & Toubro Limited (Coimbatore), urged the student participants to take time to create new systems that would benefit the community and eventually transform them into role models.
Hemalatha Annamalai, chief executive officer, Ampere Vehicles Private Limited, said that the development of the community was directly related to the development of the individuals, hence it was necessary for all citizens to constantly upgrade their skills and knowledge.
While all speakers focussed on the virtue of being a good human being, Deepali Bhanot, Head, Department of Sanskrit, University of Delhi, specially focussed on the need for women to be assertive, and not either aggressive or passive. It was necessary to bite as much as one could chew and excel in whatever one was good in. She also urged the students to become mentors to at least one child or a person in need.
The basic requirement for the country to be peaceful was ensuring availability of food for all, according to N. Parasuraman, Principal Scientist, MSSRF. As a poor country could not be a super power, a country without food cannot expect to be at peace. Hence, eradication of poverty and ensuring food security were means of achieving the goal of a peaceful community, he added.
Moderating the discussion, Kezevino Aram, Director, Shanti Ashram, urged the students to stand up for a cause. Drawing inferences from the talks of the panel experts, she said what was important was to take up the struggle. It was not important whether the struggle succeeded or not, the struggle on its own would acquire value.
