On Guru Purnima eve, M Venkaiah Naidu expresses gratitude towards his gurus, including LK Advani

On the eve of 'Guru Purnima', Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday expressed gratitude towards his gurus, including BJP veteran L K Advani, in shaping his perspective and life.

In a Facebook post, he recalled the mentoring and counselling received from 57 gurus including late Tenneti Viswanadham, a freedom fighter and a leading politician, during his early political life, and later by Advani.

Naidu, who lost his mother when he was just 15 months old, described his grandparents as his first gurus and recalled by name another 55 teachers who influenced him during his school, college and university days.

Underlining the role of gurus in the holistic development of shishyas (students), Naidu urged teachers to impart education with a personal touch in the era of technology.

He stressed that teachers have an important role in nation building through moulding of well-rounded individuals imbibed with right kind of values and perspectives.

The vice president stressed that the Internet can never be a substitute to the guru.

“Internet may provide you with a world of information, but a teacher alone can instil the power of analysing and evaluating skills which are deemed as higher order skills, which help in navigating through difficult times," he said.

Naidu recalled the inspiring saga of Guru-Shishya relationship between Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Swami Vivekananda, who had different perspectives to begin with and how in due course Vivekananda came to attribute every bit of his being to the guru.

Tracing the meaning of 'Guru' from Sanskrit roots as one who dispels darkness, Naidu wrote that “life without a guru is like a path without illumination."

Naidu urged all to recall the contributions of their gurus at various stages of their lives and express gratitude for the same on the occasion of 'Guru Purnima' on Sunday.