Social harmony will help strenghten our existence: Ansari

Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari on Thursday reminded students that social harmony and respect for each other's thoughts will help strengthen our existence and survival.

He said the students' perspective of the future will play an important role in re-shaping society and the world at large.

"The vision of the future should be clear for a peaceful and human-friendly world," Ansari said while interacting with students of Nalanda University at Rajgir, about 100 km from here.

During his interaction with students at the international convention hall in Rajgir in Nalanda district of Bihar, Ansari stressed the need for tolerance of others, even if they are different and follow different paths in life.

Ansari ealier arrived in Patna where he was received by Governor Ramnath Kovind and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

He later left for Rajgir by a special Indian Air Force helicopter.

Ansari will participate in the 90th foundation day of the Bihar Chamber of Commerce in Patna on Friday before returning to Delhi.

Last month, President Pranab Mukherjee attended the first convocation of the university in Rajgir, during which he awarded degrees and medals to students.

The new university complex is coming up in Rajgir, about 12 km from where the ancient university once stood till the 12th century, when it was razed by an invading Turk army.

The university admitted the new batch of students in August and also launched the new School of Buddhist Studies, Philosophy and Comparative Religions.

It started its first academic session in September 2014 from a makeshift campus.

The building of the fully-residential university is set to be completed by 2020. It will eventually have seven schools for postgraduate and doctoral students, offering courses in science, philosophy and spirituality and social sciences.

The university is an initiative of the Indian government and 18 East Asian countries.

--IANS

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