Ghaziabad, November 27: Former Vice-President M.Venkaiah Naidu said here today that it was high time the people abandoned the thought that the government should do everything to protect the environment. The people themselves should realise that they had a great role to play in keeping the environment clean and pristine.
Congratulating Sonam Wangchuk who was conferred the Dr Paulos Mar Gregorios Award for his outstanding contributions in creative innovation and sustainable development in the country, former vice president said “there was a need for such Wangchuks in every state and region of the country.” Wangchuk was given a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh also. The function was held at St. Thomas School ground in Ghaziabad.
Instituted by the Sophia Society of the Malankara (Indian) Orthodox Church, the award is given every alternate year in the memory of the first Metropolitan of Delhi Diocese and world renowned philosopher Dr. Paulos Mar Gregorios.
The environment was facing challenges and if we want to bequeath to the coming generations a better earth, we need to reduce pollution, former vice president said adding, “If we lead simple lives in cities, people in the mountains like Ladakh will be able to live simply.” Former Union Minister Salman Kurshid delivered the keynote address on the occasion.
The Ladakh-based engineer Wangchuk, whose life inspired a character in Bollywood blockbuster “3 Idiots”, tireless endeavours and continuing efforts to reform the architecture and technology of the Ladakh habitats by making them environment friendly, and his ceaseless pursuit of educational reforms and pedagogical innovations that have produced young men and women who occupy leadership positions in all levels of the society are commendable.
“This gathering of the Malankara Orthodox Church is a reflection of that plurality and indeed, the very idea of India, because I understand that the Orthodox Church community of India is not only an ancient one that dates back 2000 years but also an indigenous one that assimilated the local customs and traditions and became part of the mosaic of Bharat,” Naidu said, adding “this diversity in harmony has been the consistent feature of our country drawing the best from all communities to contribute to the development of all peoples of this great nation. It is in such a context that one must locate the contributions and achievements of the late Metropolitan Dr. Paulos Mar Gregorios. His enduring advocacy of inter religious dialogue, education based on Indian cultural values, nuclear disarmament and environmental concerns certainly have added to the attractive feature of India.
Congratulating the Orthodox Church for the great work it has been doing in various fields, Naidu said that “Metropolitan Gregorios can be called a true global citizen of the twentieth century. At the same time, he was proud of being an Indian citizen. In all the activities in which he was engaged—interreligious and ecumenical dialogues, forums which endorsed disarmament and global peace, conferences on science and religion, and his manifold academic endeavours—he represented a truly global vision while simultaneously asserting his identity as an Indian citizen. His unusual versatility manifests in his illuminating search for the fundamental spiritual principles shared by the different religions of India as a possible basis for common understanding and endeavour.
“The philosophy of life and the theological thought of Metropolitan Gregorios sprang from a vision of an inseparable union between God, nature, and man. It was humanistic in the sense that he always highlighted the centrality of the human figure in God’s plan for the world. While focusing on social justice, he was deeply conscious of a higher freedom which is the freedom of the mind and soul from the bondage of human fallibilities and limitations. This vision enabled him to suitably address the various dichotomies of the modern world—religion and secularism, social justice and spirituality, nature and culture, and tradition and historical change.
Metropolitan Gregorios emphasized the importance of tradition in a world which is in a state of flux. He taught that while keeping pace with the changes in the world, we must be deeply rooted in our tradition. This gives us a sense of history and enables us to respond appropriately to the challenges of a changing world. He envisioned the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church to be a harbinger of change in the modern world without compromising its status as the Indian Orthodox Church, founded on Eastern Christian thought and indigenous traditions. Translating this vision for India as a nation entailed the acceptance of the new global order by being grounded in its history, culture, and diverse literary traditions.
The Catholicos Moran Mar Marthoma Methews III, Supreme Head of the Orthodox Church in India and Dr Youhanon Mar Demetrios, Metropolitan of Delhi Diocese, were present at the award function.
Two books, one on the life and thoughts of Poulos Mar Gregorios, an ecumenical leader devoted to the inter-faith dialogue and an articulation of the Orthodox Christian faith across the world and who served as the Present, World Council of Churches, and other on the cultural diversity of India were released on the occasion.
Born in 1966, Sonam Wangchuk is an Indian Engineer, Innovator and Education Reformist. In 1988, he founded SECMOL (Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh), with the aim of supporting Ladakhi children and youth in educationally challenging and culturally confusing times.
In 1994, he launched Operation New Hope to bring reforms in the government schools’ system. He founded the SECMOL Alternative School Campus to train the students whom the system termed as failures but are the ones who are the victims of a redundant education system. He has been instrumental in designing the low-cost solar heated buildings made of mud to maintain a formidable temperature in Ladakh winters. Ice Stupa has been yet another pioneering invention towards solving the water crisis facing mountain regions.
In his address after accepting the award Wangchuk highlighted that the environmental changes, in particular air pollution will contribute to many deaths in future. He emphasised that air pollution alone was killing more people than the other impacts of the climate change.
He pointed out, “Everytime we drive our huge cars clean looking cars alone, we are dropping a bomb of roughly 4 kgs of carbon dioxide every kilometer. Now, this is the violence that we need to address. Roughly seven million people die of air pollution alone in the world.”
