2 DAYS `STEP – 2021` INAUGARATED

Pragativahini News, Belagavi –  STEP 2021 organised by Prabuddha Bharat was inaugurated by  P S Shreedharan Pillai, The Governor of Goa.

The inauguration was graced by   J Nandakumar National Convenor of Prajna Pravah, Dr. Karisiddappa VC of VTU, Dr.Gudasi VC of KUD, Dr. Siddu Alagur VC of VSKU, Dr. Ramachandra Gowda VC of RCU Belagavi,  Sachin Sabnis Convenor of Prabuddha Bharat, Dr. Sushant Joshi Co-Convenor of Prabuddha Bharat.

Shreedharan Pillai, the Governor of Goa opined that prior to the advent of the colonial rulers, India’s share of Global Trade was 23% and it was brought down to a mere 2% by the end of their rule in 1947. He spoke of the New Education Policy (NEP) which aims to transform the education of the new generation and gives a chance to students to pursue their true calling. Further he appealed to the audience consisting of around 600 delegates from the intellengentsia, University Teachers, and students to instill a sense of Nationalism in the future generations. He lauded the efforts of Prabuddha Bharat for its effort in this area.

 Vinay Sahasrabuddhe described India as a Banyan tree with various branches, depicted the true sense of unity in diversity with a common core and various branches. He opined that New India has to realize its potential to play a global role india has to play as the mother of all cultures and civilizations. He appealed to the audience that it was time to be self deprecating and decolonize the minds of the new generation so that the common Indian realizes that India is the original vishwaguru. He also said that NEP is De-macaulayisation of Indian education and emancipating it from the colonial shackles.

Moderator: Dr. Smitha Surebankar

Speakers:​ Dr. V B Arati Adjunt Faculty

​ ​Dr. M Jagishkumar VC of JNU Delhi

Dr. V B Arati spoke of Indian Value heritage she stressed on the values of the indian tradition and the interpretation of Dharma and Dharma pradnya. She advised the parents that we should learn one indigenous language thoroughly or better still learn sanskrit to connect back to ourselves, our Land and our culture.

Dr. Jagadishkumar held the audience in a trance when he spoke about the New Education Policy and its execution. He spoke of making education Accessible, affordable, and equitable through the NEP. He explained that NEP aims at Learning by doing and not by listening to lectures and the teachers role is to make students better learners.

Moderator:  Ar. Jeetendra Nayak

Speaker: Shri A L Jaishankar CEO FSS Pvt Ltd

Closing Remarks: Dr. Siddu P Alagur VC of VSKU

Shri A L Jaishankar spoke about the transformation that technology has brought about in the lives of the public and how can technology be leveraged for the well being of the world. He narrated instances and success stories on the digital payments infrastructure. He stressed on building a strong technology ecosystem for seamless implementation of digital solutions. He cautioned the audience on data colonization and cyber security.

Dr. Siddu  Alagur VC of VSK University delivered the closing remarks and opined that technology was an enabler has to be utilized in that way only and one should not become a victim of technology by overuse.

Keynote address by Shri J Nandakumar National Prajna Pravah

 Nandakumar delivered a spirited speech on the idea of Swaraj. He professed that the struggle for SWA-meaning self started much before 1857, when Rani Abakka, Rani Channamma fought for swarajya. He lamented that the true history of the country was not mainstreamed into public dialogue by partisan politics. He strongly proposed that British Historians wrote history to undermine India’s history so that they can be readied to rule the country. He also stressed that Independence struggle was Pan-India. The British rule was multidimensional and likewise the indian response was also multidimensional, He exhorted the audience to appreciate the multidimensional struggle for independence (Swarajya).

Moderator: Ar. Jeetendra Nayak

Speaker: Neeraj Atri, Celebrated Author

Shri Neeraj Atri Spoke at length on the discourse and narrative set by the British colonizers and their followers, the brown sahibs through NCERT Textbooks. He showed numerous examples on how simple and straight forward texts were distorted to create fault lines amongst the populace of India. He demonstrated how concepts of applied psychology were used to subtly push the political agenda and create a narrative of the Aryan invasion theory, rigid castes, etc. He appealed to the audience to start appreciate the true history of the country rather than depend on the narratives for partisan motives.

Moderator:  Raj Belgaumkar

Felicitations to:

1.  Hitesh Dharadasani

2.   Abhishek Latthe

3.   Basavaraj Sungari

All the speakers spoke of their achievements in their Business and sphere of activities. The motive of the session was to showcase local entrepreneurs.