Fear, mistrust at heart of increasing violence: Pranab Mukherjee

Pranab Mukherjee said, “At the heart of this violence is darkness, fear and mistrust… We must free our public discourse from all forms of violence, physical as well as verbal.” (Express photo/ File)

Former president Pranab Mukherjee Wednesday said there was a difference between “world-class” and “world-minded”, and that universities need to remember that.

He also said youth must become the “voice of change”, adding: “Compassion and empathy is the true foundation of our civilisation, but every day we see increasing violence surround us. At the heart of this violence is darkness, fear and mistrust… We must free our public discourse from all forms of violence, physical as well as verbal.”

Speaking at a symposium on Soka Gakkai International president Daisaku Ikeda’s 2018 Peace Proposal, ‘Toward an Era of Human Rights: Building a People’s Movement’ at Chinmaya Mission, he said that India’s association with the human rights movement “runs deep” and that even before Independence, “India was active in the international level in its advocacy for the promotion and protection of human rights”.