Kochi: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday said that Bharat, a proper noun, should not be translated as it represents an idea.

"Bharat is a proper noun. It should not be translated. 'India is Bharat'. That is true. But Bharat is Bharat. That is why, while talking, writing and speaking, be it personal or public, we should keep Bharat as Bharat. Bharat must remain Bharat. The identity of Bharat is respected because it is Bharat. If you lose your identity, whatever other meritorious qualities you may have, you will never be respected or secure in this world. That is the thumb rule," he said.

He was addressing the national education conference, 'Gyan Sabha', organised by the RSS-linked Shiksha Sanskriti Utthan Nyas in Kochi. The RSS chief said the world understands power and therefore, India has to become strong and also wealthy from an economic point of view.

Stressing on the theme of the educational summit and the related brainstorming sessions, Bhagwat said that 'Bharatiya' education teaches sacrifice and living for others. “If something teaches a person to be selfish, it is not education. Education is not just schooling, but the environment at home and society,” he said.

Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, various academicians and Vice Chancellors of a few universities in the state were present at the event.

Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar on Sunday said that the National Education Policy 2020 is the first serious attempt to decolonise the country's education system.

Addressing the meeting, Governor Arlekar said that the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 is the first serious attempt to decolonise the country's education system.

"Our whole thinking was changed by the earlier education system. We did not even realise when it entered our family lives. We are now attempting to come out of that colonisation," he said, and urged everyone to be part of the change in the education sector. 

The event gained political attention since it takes place in the backdrop of the CPM-led Kerala government’s opposition to the NEP on the grounds that it is part of the JP-led Centre’s attempt to saffronise the education system in the country.

Earlier in the day, Kerala General Education Minister V Sivankutty had raised a scathing criticism against the RSS-linked higher education conference.

The minister said that the Kerala government strongly condemned attempts to saffronise the education sector under the guise of implementing the NEP.

"Education should be secular and accessible for all. However, it is worrying that some organisations are trying to distort education policies according to their interests," the minister said in a statement.

The news that the vice-chancellors of five universities in the state are participating in an event led by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat is "very much worrying", he said.

The Gyan Sabha is scheduled to conclude on Monday. The final day of the four-day event will witness a series of discussions on the topic ‘Education for a Developed Bharat’. Education ministers from various BJP-ruled states, and vice chancellors of around 200 universities in the country, will attend the sessions. 

Four Kerala VCs attend Gyan Sabha
Vice Chancellors from four universities in Kerala took part in the Gyan Sabha. The participants included Mohanan Kunnummal (Vice Chancellor of both Kerala University of Health Sciences and the University of Kerala), K K Saju (Kannur University), A Bijukumar (Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies - KUFOS), and P Raveendran (Calicut University).

Speaking at the event, Mohanan Kunnummal said, “Today’s students are capable and skilled. However, a section of students—under the influence of certain groups—continues to remain in some universities without completing their studies. Their motive is to secure positions in politics.”