Vice President CB Radhakrishnan with Congress MP Shashi Tharoor (Photo/X)
NEW DELHI: Vice President CP Radhakrishnan on Thursday regretted that the contributions of Indian philosophers and social reformers like Sri Narayana Guru have not been adequately recorded in international languages, creating a gap in the global academic discourse.Launching a book on Narayana Guru by Congress member Shashi Tharoor, Radhakrishnan said the “sage who reimagined Hinduism” would take India’s heritage to a global audience.The Vice President said the book was special because it was first published at Sivagiri Mutt, the hermitage founded by the Guru. He said Mott’s visit provides inspiration to treat everyone with equality and dignity.
Radhakrishnan said the guru emerged as a spiritual guide at a time when caste divisions and social discrimination were deeply entrenched in society.
He noted that the Guru’s immortal message of “One Caste, One Religion, One God for Mankind” was not just a spiritual declaration but also a revolutionary call for equality, dignity and universal brotherhood.Tharoor said it was unfortunate that although the Guru’s message had global resonance, he was rarely known outside Kerala. Talking about Kerala in the 19th century, he said caste prejudices ran so deep in the state that Swami Vivekananda called it a “lunatic asylum”. He said that the Guru took up social reform in such a bad situation and shook up the society so much that Kerala has now become the most progressive state in the country.
