Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday emphasized the need to use freedom of expression responsibly so that the faith or sentiments of others are not hurt.
Addressing the 33rd Moortidevi Award Ceremony organised by Bhartiya Jnanpith at Sahitya Akademi Auditorium in New Delhi, the Vice President said, "Need to use freedom of expression responsibly so that faith or sentiments of others are not hurt. Writers and thinkers are expected to create intellectual discourse in society, not trigger controversies."
Eminent Hindi author Vishwanath Prasad Tiwari was presented this year's Moortidevi Awards for his outstanding work," Asti Aur Bhavati".
On this occasion, Naidu characterised the writers and thinkers as the intellectual capital of the nation who enrich it with their creative ideas and literature.
Describing the 'word' and 'language' as the most important inventions of human history, he said that literature is the living carrier of the thought-tradition of a society.
"The more cultured a society, the more refined would be its language. The more awakened the society, the more extensive its literature would be," he added.
Praising the country's rich linguistic diversity, the Vice President termed it India's national strength which forged our cultural unity.
He wanted the increased dialogue between Indian languages and suggested that everyone must learn some words, idioms and greetings in other Indian languages. "It is an important exercise for the linguistic and emotional unity of the country," he added.
Stressing that every Indian language is a 'national language', the Vice President urged the national media to give adequate space to all Indian languages and their literature.
Recalling India's glorious culture and respect for values and ethics, Naidu exhorted the writers to revive these virtues through a cultural renaissance in the country.
Describing the meaning of Dharma, the Vice President said that Dharma is not religion, rather it is the duty cast upon us all. "If one is performing his or her duties diligently, he or she is the patriot in a true sense," he said.
Appreciating the efforts of institutions like Sahitya Akademi for translating and promoting literature in Indian languages, Naidu said that more efforts are needed in this direction and the latest technologies should be fully leveraged for this.
He also said that literary works translated from other Indian languages should be included in our university curriculum.
Emphasizing that university research must benefit society at large, the Vice President called for publishing the research theses in book form.
Referring to the literary festivals or Lit fests organized in several cities over the past few years, Naidu said, "These Lit fests have given a platform to the young writers to present their creations to the society and media."
Justice Vijender Jain the President of Bharatiya Jnanpith, Sahu Akhilesh Jain the Managing Trustee of Bharatiya Jnanpith and others were present during the event.
( With inputs from ANI )
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