Centenary Celebration: Book and Souvenir release

Those benefiting fromeducation should become intellectuals who can clearly differentiatebetween–Dharma' and 'Adharma'-- Dharmasthala Dharmadhikari D VeerendraHeggade said on Friday. He addressed the gatheringafter inaugurating the Besant Centenary celebrations organised by Women'sNational Education Society (WNES) at T M A Pai International convention centre. After releasing the souvenir--Shata Smruthi’ and Prof M R Prabhu’s, `Hale Beru, Hosa Chiguru’, Heggadeurged students to develop curiosity.

“In my day, I had nosource of information other than the radio. Today, we gather news from allsources and form opinions,” he pointed out.
He stressed the need todifferentiate between belief, disbelief and superstition.
“Blind belief is notnecessarily superstition. Even scientists admit that science is walking thetight rope between blind faith and curiosity,” he remarked.
“Science should be ourslave and we should not be slaves to science,” Heggade pointed out.
He expressed concern overincreasing drug abuse among students and termed drug addiction the biggestmenace.
He urged students to developideals and not to ignore Indian culture (Samskara).
Other speakers paid richtributes to Dr Annie Besant who laid the foundation stone for the institutionin 1918.
Mangalore UniversityVice-Chancellor Prof Ishwara P, WNES President Kudpi Jagadish Shenoy andCentenary Celebration Committee Chairman K Devananda Pai were also present.
The formal programme wasfollowed with cultural programmes presented by students of Besant institutions.