SHIMLA: Governor Kavinder Gupta on Friday said the journey from Swaraj and Swadeshi to Atmanirbhar Bharat represents a continuing national endeavour towards self-confidence, self-reliance and inclusive development.
Addressing the valedictory session of a two-day national seminar at the Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS), Shimla, the Governor said the theme of the seminar was closely connected with India’s development journey, civilisational consciousness, social and economic aspirations and vision for the future.
Gupta said self-reliance should not mean isolation from the world, stressing that India must strengthen its own capabilities while remaining open to global knowledge, science, technology, trade and cooperation. He highlighted the relevance of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya’s philosophy of Integral Humanism and Antyodaya, which places holistic human development and the welfare of the last person at the centre of the development process.
The Governor said meaningful development must extend beyond production and consumption to encompass human dignity, social harmony, ethics, cultural values, environmental balance and the welfare of every section of society. He called for equal opportunities for women, farmers, artisans, workers, entrepreneurs, tribal communities, rural populations, youth and persons with disabilities.
He also emphasised the need to strengthen local economies, traditional knowledge, handicrafts and small enterprises as important pillars of self-reliance. Referring to the vision of Viksit Bharat-2047, Gupta said achieving a developed India would require collective participation and the spirit of Sabka Prayas.
“Our tradition can provide values, science can provide tools, democracy can provide institutions and our youth can provide energy. Their integration can give a new direction to the India of the future,” he said.
Calling for responsible development, the Governor said progress must be accompanied by responsibility, technology by ethics, prosperity by sensitivity and self-reliance by self-restraint. He urged scholars and research institutions to undertake critical academic studies of India’s development model and civilisational thought while encouraging new questions, research and intellectual dialogue.
Gupta expressed confidence that the seminar would extend beyond the two-day event and contribute to sustained intellectual dialogue on India’s development, self-reliance and civilisational perspective.
On the occasion, the Governor released several books, including Dalit Movement in North India: Theory, Practice, and Challenges, Decolonizing Cannabis: History, Hegemony and Opportunities (with a special focus on the Himalayas), Folk and Rural Imagery in Kangra Miniatures: An Indigenous Indian Art Perspective, and works on the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upanishad.
Dr Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, President of the Asiatic Society, Mumbai, shared his views virtually on contemporary challenges and possible solutions. Earlier, IIAS Director Prof. Himanshu Kumar Chaturvedi welcomed and honoured Governor Gupta and Lady Governor Bindu Gupta and briefed the gathering on the national seminar titled “The Quest for Atmanirbhar Bharat: From the Past, through the Present, to the Future.”
Shri Prafulla Ketkar, Editor, Organiser, also addressed the gathering, while Programme Coordinator Dr Ayushi Ketkar presented a report on the seminar. Dr Rajiv Kumar Mishra, Librarian, IIAS, proposed the vote of thanks.
