india

Updated: Aug 05, 2019 05:25 IST

Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday had an advice for all, including the political class: “Think before you speak and read before you think.”

“This is not just for the students, but for all, including the politicians. Freedom of expression is enshrined in the Constitution, but one must read to develop. Scholars have said this and it is very important,” he said, while speaking as the chief guest at the centenary year celebration of the Patna University library in the Patna Science College.

Citing Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, Naidu said, “Book are the means why which we build bridges between cultures. Bihar has had a legacy of having global libraries at Nalanda and Vikramshila, drawing scholars from far and wide for research, and it played a key role in making India the Vishwa Guru. India was then the intellectual centre,” he added.

Congratulating the Patna library for completing 100 years, Naidu said: “Books are the best guide and they stay relevant even in the era of internet and google. There is no substitute to books, as they give character,” he added. He said that the country would require to move at good pace to be the third largest economy of the world and it could be happens only through knowledge.