Udupi Puttige Mutt seer Sri Sugunendra Tirtha on Thursday demanded re-naming the international airport here after philosophers Sankaracharya and Madhwacharya, as MadhwaSankara International Airport.
In a statement here, Sri Sugunendra Tirtha said that at a time when everyone was intending to make India a “Vishwa Guru”, giving the name of the two philosophers to the airport could be apt. While Sankaracharya’s philosophical abode is located at Sringeri, about 120 km from Mangaluru, Madhwacharya’s seat is located in nearby Udupi.
Sri Sugunendra Tirtha pointed out that the airport in Ayodhya is being named after Sri Rama, the presiding deity of the town. Naming Mangaluru airport after MadhwaSankara would not only be a reverence to these personalities of Indian spiritual field, it would also give impetus to spreading the Indian spiritual philosophy worldwide as well as creating a bonhomie among different sections of society.
Spirituality has been India’s basis and strength, the swamiji said and added that airports in different parts of the country should be named after spiritual personalities of those regions, including Basaveshwara and Ramanujacharya.
At a time when COVID-19 was threatening mankind, a strong spiritual movement is the need of the hour. Naming the airport after such personalities would be timely, Sri Sugunendra Tirtha said.
