New Delhi, May 6 (IANS): After several questions were raised on Jawaharlal Nehru University's decision to organise a webinar on ‘Lessons from the Bhagavad Gita during the Covid-19 Crisis, JNU Vice Chancellor Jagadesh Kumar Mamidala evoked Jawaharlal Nehru's ‘Discovery of India where Nehru had claimed that Bhagavad Gita does not address any particular school of thought and is universal in its approach for everyone.
Speaking to IANS exclusively, Mamidala said, "The spiritual nature of Gita is beautifully explained by Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru in Discovery of India: ‘The message of the Gita is not sectarian or addressed to any particular school of thought. It is universal in its approach for everyone. Therefore, learning lessons from Gita in an educational institute is not out of place."
He also mentioned about IIMs using Bhagavad Gita to train their students in the art of management and claimed that the varsity will continue to conduct more such webinars in future.
"Many IIMs too are drawing lessons from the Bhagavad Gita to train future corporate leaders. JNU is a place open to all good ideas and critical thinking. We will continue to conduct more such interesting webinars for the benefit of the students," he added.
Many people have raised concerns over JNU's move to conduct webinars based on Hindu mythology. A section of JNU teachers on Tuesday had issued a statement where they accused Mamidala of propagating "a particular religious philosophy and belief system."
"Merely calling them webinars doesn't make them truly academic events. The JNUTA views this as inappropriate conduct and misuse of the office of the Vice Chancellor," the section of teachers had then said.
Mamidala though brushed the allegations and said, "From Gita, we learn that we must act conscious of our responsibilities. We must do our duties without a desire for personal benefit. Qualities that are essential in situations such as COVID-19. For many of us, finding the purpose and the meaning of our existence does not come easily. Bhagavad Gita teaches us this important life lesson."
The webinar is scheduled for Thursday at 6 pm and according to latest data over 800 individuals from across the country have already registered to attend the same.
JNU has been conducting several webinars on different issues related to COVID-19 during the lockdown period, one of them which gained a lot of eyes was a webinar on leadership lessons from Ramayana.
"Mahatma Gandhi emphasised how Lord Rama taught us to uphold truth, justice, equality even under adverse circumstances, there is a great deal to learn from Ramayana to enrich our lives particularly during these challenging times of coronavirus," Mamidala had then said.
Earlier the university had organised a webinar on challenges and solutions to COVID-19. Over a thousand people including many from foreign countries had reportedly participated in that webinar.
"When we are in the midst of a pandemic like COVID-19, it is not uncommon for us, particularly the students, to experience doubts, anxiety, uncertainty and psychological stress. To successfully fight COVID-19, while we need to follow all the guidelines suggested by experts, it is also important to remain mentally strong," Mamidala said as he defended the webinar on Bhagavad Gita.
The university was also among the first ones to form a dedicated COVID-19 taskforce and a website for the benefit of its students.