No living mortal entitled to your respect unless you see virtue in them: Vice President Dhankhar's message to youth

He was speaking at the 4th Convocation Ceremony of the Masters' Union in Gurugram, an event he graced as the Chief Guest.

"The idea that 'things can't function without you' doesn't hold true. God has already determined the limit of your longevity. So, he has also decided [ that you can't] be indispensable," Dhankhar said addressing the students and faculty members at the event.

Calling upon the youngsters to believe in themselves, he stated, "Believe in yourself. No living mortal is entitled to your respect unless you see virtue in them. The urge to be a sycophant or a hypocrite must never be there. We must appreciate the way we think. Maybe we are right, maybe we are wrong. Always listen to the other point of view. Don't be judgmental, thinking that you alone are right. Maybe you need a correction. Maybe the other point of view will enlighten you about what can happen."

Dhankar said that we idolize and iconize very quickly, and we never ask why someone is a great lawyer, a great leader, a great doctor,or a great journalist.

"You must ask questions, Why? There was a time when who would do business? There were business families, business dynasties, their strongholds, only they would do it, just like the feudal lords used to rule. Democracy made politics democratic," he said.

"Now, you are going to democratize the economic, industrial, commercial, and business landscape of the country. Today, you're taking a huge leap forward--mark my words, you don't need lineage, you don't need a family name, you don't need family capital, you need an idea, and that idea is not the exclusive domain of anyone," he added.

Underlining the potential of the nation's bureaucracy, Dhankhar said, "The greatest advantage Bharat, home to one-sixth of humanity has is its bureaucracy."

"We have the finest human resources, bureaucracy, that can bring about any transformation if led by the right executive in the right frame, an executive that facilitates and does not obstruct," he said.

Highlighting the role of youngsters in making democracy effective and reiterating the duties of the parliamentarians and public representatives, the Vice-President stated, "You remind me of constituent assembly, because for two years, 11 months and few days, constituent assembly over 18 sessions dealt with contentious issues, divisive issues, difficult issues. Consensus was not easy, but they believed in debate, dialogue, deliberations and discussion. They never engaged in disruption and disturbance. And therefore, I feel absence of a parliamentary environment when I say discipline here. But I am sure our youngsters have the command now by virtue of social media to make it compulsive for our parliamentarians and representatives of the people, that they must live up to their oath. They must discharge their constitutional ordainment. They must acquit on the anvil of their obligations."

Referring to the economic growth over the decade and the rise in the expectations of the people, Dhankhar said, "People have tasted growth over 10 years. 500 million people getting into banking inclusion, 170 million getting gas collections, 120 million households getting toilets. Now their thirst is more. Their expectations are on the rise, not in arithmetic form, but in geometric form...Our India is changing. Our India changed so much for people like me that we had never imagined, dreamed of, thought. Our India has become an example for the world today. No nation in the world has grown as fast as stable as Bharat in the last decade...Now people's expectations are very high. Those expectations have to be satisfied. You have to think out of the box."

"You are the most impactful stakeholder of governance. You are the engines of growth. If Bharat has to be a Viksit Nation, of Viksit Bharat at 2047. The challenge is daunting. We are already the fifth largest global economy....but income has to rise eightfold. That's a big challenge", he added.

Ashok Kumar Mittal, Chancellor of Lovely Professional University, Pratham Mittal, Founder Masters' Union, Vivek Gambhir, Board Member of the Board Masters' Union, students, faculty and other dignitaries were also present on the occasion. (ANI)