The Dalai Lama has called for greater emphasis on moral principles in modern education. The Tibetan spiritual leader was delivering the address at the 97th annual convocation of the University of Mysore (UoM) here on Tuesday after receiving honorary doctorate from the varsity.
Though education is fundamental to human beings and national development, the existing system concerns itself only with the material values in life and thus the current generation is facing a moral crisis, he said. No matter how good the political or the economic systems of the country, they make little difference in the absence of moral principles, he opined.
The Dalai Lama said there is hope for humanity as compassion, not violence, is in the basic nature of human beings and one should strive to bring about harmony in the world without touching upon any religious beliefs. “More and more people are giving importance to this aspect of strengthening inner values so that morality can be introduced in a more universal manner,” he said.
The Dalai Lama’s speech was unconventional as it was delivered extempore and he spoke directly to the audience, characteristically making jokes and guffawing, unlike the solemn style adopted by convocation address speakers usually.
Pramoda Devi Wadiyar, wife of the late Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar, was also conferred honorary doctorate on the occasion. In her acceptance speech, Ms. Wadiyar said she was stunned on learning of her nomination for the award but decided to accept it with a deep sense of humility. She recalled that her late husband and her father-in-law, the last Maharaja Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar, were alumni of the university.
In all, 24,398 students, including 14,844 women, were eligible to receive various degrees. There were 335 candidates who received their Ph.D certificates on the occasion. Governor Vajubhai R. Vala, Minister for Higher Education Basavaraja Rayareddy and UoM Vice-Chancellor K.S. Rangappa were among those present.
A penchant for watches
The Dalai Lama’s penchant for watches is well documented. During the convocation, he went back in time and recalled a decades-old incident relating to his love for watches.
After being gifted a watch by the university while being conferred honorary doctorate, the Dalai Lama thanked UoM authorities and said, “Very nice, thank you. Now let me tell you [about] an incident that took place when I was very young.”
Breaking into chuckles every now and then, the Dalai Lama recalled how he had, as a boy who had just been initiated into the spiritual order, received a letter and a gift from the then United States President Franklin Roosevelt. “As a young boy I was not bothered so much about the letter but was more interested in the watch,” he recalled. It was only during his subsequent visit to the US a few years ago and on meeting President Barack Obama, who showed him a copy of Roosevelt’s letter, did he think about the original letter.
