Nagpur, March 21 The world is under the threat of war, and only dialogue can lead to solutions, Vice President CP Radhakrishnan said on Saturday.
Addressing a gathering of the 29th national session of the Indian Youth Parliament at the RSS' Dr Hedgewar Smruti Mandir complex in Reshimbagh here, he also said speaking in one's mother tongue is not about being regional, but about being original.
The theme of the 4-day Youth Parliament is 'Indian Languages & Developed India-2047'.
"When the whole world is under the threat of war, only dialogue can lead to solutions. The Youth Parliament teaches us the importance of respectful debate, listening to diverse perspectives, and finding solutions through dialogue," he said.
"The theme on languages is the need of the hour. Bharat has so many languages. Everyone loves their own mother tongue, their own religion, but it does not mean we should not respect the language of another person. When we speak our mother tongues, we are not being regional. We are being original," he asserted.
Each language carries its own heritage, yet they together create a collective cultural harmony that defines India, the Vice President opined.
"There is no God bigger than Bharat Mata," he said.
Radhakrishnan said he recently released the updated translated version of the Constitution in Tamil and Gujarati and praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking the initiative to make it available in so many languages.
"For the first time, the Constitution has been made available in languages like Dogri, Santhali, and many others. The Union government is making several efforts to protect and promote the linguistic diversity of Bharat," he said.
Commenting on the ongoing Budget Session of Parliament, Radhakrishnan, also the chairperson of the Rajya Sabha, said he was happy to see constructive debates in the House.
"We may have differences of opinion but it is not to have conflict but to find final conclusions and to achieve solutions. The ultimate aim is to lead dialogues to conclusion. Such debates and dialogues with a purpose can help us realise the goal of Viksit Bharat. This is the duty of every parliamentarian," Radhakrishnan asserted.
The Vice President said those taking part in the Youth Parliament must use the platform to learn the values that shape a vibrant and strong nation.
"The world is watching India keenly. India is also watching them," he told the students taking part, adding that they were the "amrit generation" that will see the Tricolour flying high in a fully developed nation by 2047.
He said the goal of Viksit Bharat cannot be achieved with borrowed ideas.
"We must innovate from our roots, think in our native scripts, and lead the world with the confidence of our own identity," he told those taking part in the Youth Parliament.
Informing that it was his first official visit to Maharashtra after he became Vice President, Radhakrishnan, a former governor of the state, called Nagpur as a place of great significance in the national consciousness since it is birthplace of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
"It was here in this historic city that Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar laid the foundation of the Sangh in 1925 on the auspicious occasion of Vijayadashami. What began as a small but very important initiative has, over the decades, grown into a vast movement dedicated to the service of the nation," he said.
Radhakrishnan said his association with the organisation had instilled in him the spirit of selfless service with regards to responsibilities given to him.
"The centenary year celebration (of RSS) is a reminder that when a small seed of dedication to 'Rashtra Pratham Nation First' is sown, it grows like a banyan tree that shelters the entire country," the Vice President said.