Rakesh Bhayana
Panipat: A workshop on values and personality development for girl students was organised at Arya College here under the aegis of Vedic Parivar, Panipat, with a focus on Indian values, nationalism, self-confidence, women’s dignity and social responsibility.
The workshop was attended by students of Arya College, Arya Girls Public School, DAV Public School, HUDA, and DAV Police Public School. Haryana State Commission for Women member Suman Chaudhary presided over the programme. Mayor Komal Saini and District Education Officer Rakesh Boora also addressed the students.
Addressing the gathering, Vinay Arya, general secretary of the Arya Pratinidhi Sabha, Delhi, said India had historically been a major centre of knowledge, science, education, culture and prosperity. Referring to the historical description of India as the “golden bird”, he spoke about the country’s ancient prosperity and cultural heritage.
Using examples from the Ramayana, Arya highlighted the values of duty, sacrifice, patience and obedience. He referred to Lord Rama accepting his father Dashrath’s decision to send him into exile and to Lakshman accompanying his brother despite having to remain away from his wife Urmila.
He urged the students not merely to worship Lord Rama but to imbibe the values of discipline, duty and sacrifice associated with his life. Referring to the Mahabharata, Arya said patience and restraint were important, but injustice also had to be confronted when necessary. He urged the girls to develop courage, self-confidence and awareness about self-defence.
“Do not consider yourselves helpless; become empowered,” he said. Suman Chaudhary said women were today making their mark in almost every field, including the armed forces, aviation, administration, education, science and sports. She urged the students not to consider themselves inferior to men and to participate actively in social and national causes.
She said personal progress should not be measured only in terms of financial success and stressed the need for a sense of responsibility towards society and the nation. She also advised youngsters to use their own judgement rather than blindly accepting any ideology or viewpoint. Mayor Komal Saini advised the students to maintain an open and friendly relationship with their mothers and share their concerns with them. She also cautioned them against excessive use of mobile phones.
“Mobile phones are an important tool today, but they should be used wisely,” she said, urging students to devote adequate time to studies, family, sports and creative activities. District Education Officer Rakesh Boora said education should not be restricted to classroom and textbook learning. He said students also needed values, discipline, ethical awareness and a sense of social responsibility.
The programme was conducted by spokesperson Monika Arya, who spoke about the importance accorded to women’s dignity in Indian culture. Quoting the well-known Sanskrit saying, “Yatra naryastu pujyante ramante tatra devatah”, she stressed the need to study original texts to understand their context rather than forming opinions based on selective interpretations.
Vedic Parivar secretary Dr Rajbir Arya proposed the vote of thanks. RSS state Gau Raksha chief Mahendra Kansal, Arya Girls Public School manager Arun Arya, Arya College vice-principal Anuradha Singh, DAV Police Public School principal Sumita Arora, Vedic Parivar president Dr Pawan Bansal and several other members of the organisation and educational institutions were present.