Bhubaneswar: Vice President Venkaiah Naidu attends World Congress of Poets

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu attended the World Congress of Poets 2019 here on Sunday and said that poetry can serve as a powerful catalyst that could hasten the process of social transformation.

"I am touched by the theme of this conference "Compassion through Poetry". Compassion is innate to all of us, we just have to realize this and practice it consciously till it becomes our habit and all our actions, subconsciously, exhibit compassion and kindness," Naidu said at the conference.

Poetry is one of the finest expressions of human emotion as it conveys deep insights, a wide range of emotions and elevates the human experience to the highest levels of consciousness. It has a great impact on the inner chemistry of human emotions, on how we perceive how we respond and how we behave," he added.

He further said that India's tryst with poetry is as old as its civilization as great Indian epics Ramayana and Mahabharata are among the finest specimens of poetry ever written, and they are celebrated world over for grandeur of their themes, extraordinary literary heights and depth of messages they convey.

"I believe that it is crucial to promote art and culture in order to build an enlightened and healthy society. Artists are very often the conscience keepers of society, they constantly question the absurd and the illogical and help instil positive values in the society," he said.

The Vice President further said that society needs poets, writers, artists and singers as much as it needs doctors, engineers and scientists.

"Poetry can serve as a powerful catalyst that could hasten the process of social transformation. I urge schools to make poetry reading and appreciation a compulsory part of the curriculum and also ask universities to encourage literature, art and humanities education," he said.

Naidu said that India never attacked any country because the thinkers never believed in aggression here. They believed in progression. Share and care is the core of Indian philosophy.

He further said that the promotion of literature is also required for preserving and promoting any language. The best way to preserve and promote any language is to use it extensively. Respecting and promoting any mother tongue is vital for the survival of any language across the globe.