Spiritual teachings of Bhagavad Gita can give new direction to today's youth: President Murmu

Jamshedpur, Feb 26 (PTI) President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday asserted that spiritual teachings in the Bhagavad Gita could give a new direction to today's youth and shape their lives.

Murmu was addressing a gathering after performing the ground-breaking ceremony of the Sri Jagannath Spiritual and Cultural Charitable Centre Trust at Kadma area in Jharkhand’s Jamshedpur, and laying its foundation stone.

She said the proposed Jagannath cultural centre will propate lessons from the scripture.

"The Lord Jagannath temple in Jamshedpur will be a centre for spiritual learning and communal harmony. It will ensure education of poor children, including girls, at its hostel," Murmu said.

The teachings contained in the Bhagavad Gita are food for the soul, the President said.

Murmu also lauded those behind the proposed spiritual centre, which she said will help instil teachings of the Bhagavad Gita among the youth and shape their personality.

Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan, speaking on the occasion, said so far over 500 Jagannath temples have been built across the nation.

S K Behera, the managing trustee of the Sri Jagannath Spiritual and Cultural Charitable Centre Trust, said it will be a replica of the 12th-century shrine in Odisha’s Puri.

The centre will be developed over a 2.5-acre land near river Kharkhai at an estimated cost of Rs 100 crore.

The project is expected to boost religious tourism in Jharkhand and also serve as a hub for “character building and ethical development” of the younger generation.

"We aim to foster holistic personality development of today’s youth and those pursuing higher education," Behera said. PTI BS NAM RBT