Mangaluru: Swami Suhitananda, vice-president of Ramakrishna Mutt and Ramakrishna Mission, Belur Mutt (Howrah), on Saturday urged students to aspire not only for good jobs and high salaries but also for higher ideals and socially beneficial activities to become responsible citizens.

He was speaking at the inauguration of Prajna, a seminar for professional students organised as part of the Amrit Mahotsav of the Mangaluru Ramakrishna Mission.

‘Mission inspires positive thinking’

Praising the work of the Mangaluru unit, Swami Suhitananda said the mission has given society a new dimension by not only promoting cleanliness but also inspiring positive thinking among people.

Swami Muktidananda, president of Mysuru Ramakrishna Ashrama and trustee of Belur Mutt, and Swami Jitakamananda, president of Mangaluru Ramakrishna Mutt, were also present.

Corporate support for mission’s work

Speaking on the occasion, B.H.V. Prasad, Executive Director (Projects) of Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL), said developing a positive attitude is key to a successful life. “If practised regularly, it becomes a way of life. This is the secret behind many successful individuals,” he said.

He highlighted MRPL’s decade-long association with the Mangaluru Ramakrishna Mission through the Swacch Mangaluru Abhiyan, which has created awareness about not just public cleanliness but also about maintaining clean minds and pure thoughts.

Seminar sessions and panel discussion

The inaugural session was followed by talks from eminent speakers. Swami Mahamedhananda, Director of the Ramakrishna Institute of Moral and Spiritual Education, Mysuru, conducted the first session. The second was led by K. Raghottama Rao, director of MANAS Training Centre, Bengaluru.

A panel discussion on “Balancing Career Success with Community Service” featured contributions from Smita Hegde, research director at the Centre for Advanced Learning, Santosh Pai, head of Human Resources at Infosys India (Mangaluru), and Shashank Shetty, founder and managing director of S Cube Group. The session was moderated by Ranjan Bellarpady, chief coordinator of the Swacch Mangaluru Campaign.

Strong student participation

The seminar witnessed an enthusiastic response, with over 700 postgraduate students from 10 colleges in Dakshina Kannada taking part in the sessions.