ADDRESS BY THIRU BANWARILAL PUROHIT, HON’BLE GOVERNOR OF TAMIL NADU
AT INAUGURATION OF THE PROBLEM CHILD -
SCIENTIFIC SYMPHOSIUM & BUDDHI IMMERSION ORGANISED BY BUDDHI CLINIC
AT MADRAS MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION, MMA MANAGEMENT CENTER
Hon’ble
Governor of Tamil Nadu, Thiru.Banwarilal Purohit inaugurated the Problem Child Scientific
Symphosium and Buddhi Immersion at Madras Management Association, MMA
Management Center,Chennai today (30.12.2018) and addressed the gathering.
Hon’ble Governor said “It gives me great pleasure to be
here at the inaugural ceremony of this scientific symposium on the theme of,
“The Problem Child”, organised by Buddhi Clinic.
Maintaining the health of children is an important area of concern for us
since nearly 50 crore children in India, forming 39% of the population.
Maternal and child malnutrition, infections and other such factors dominate our
consciousness in India and continue to be problematic, despite the giant
strides.
The issues concerning children who
have problems with learning, cognition and interactive behaviour are proposed
to be discussed at the symposium, which disadvantage their human
capital and potentially affect their contribution to society at large. While
the Government through its Maternal & Child Health primary care, health and
inclusive education programs is making substantial efforts across India, the
role of experts, organisations and concerned others in society in improving the
quality of care is also fully appreciated.
In this context, I am happy to see that Buddhi Clinic is
organising programs that aim to raise awareness and bring to stakeholders in
India, knowledge at the cutting edge. Pediatric neuropsychiatry, a new discipline that is focused on the brain
& mind of the child, is an important subject engaging their attention and
the professional contribution at this symposium are bound to enrich their disease to health. I thank them for taking the time and
trouble to be here, to teach passionately their unique skills to Indian experts
and to contribute through discussion and dialogue. I am sure that they too will
return home enriched with significant professional and socio-cultural learnings.
I am also very happy that today’s symposium honours two
distinguished Indians from this part of the world: Late Shri. Appa Rao a
freedom fighter turned rural industrialist represented here by his
grandchildren and Late Dr. Krishnamoorthy Srinivas a doyen of community
neurology in India, whose son Dr. Ennapadam S Krishnamoorthy has founded Buddhi
Clinic and is the convenor of today’s program. I deem it a privilege to have
given away awards commemorating understanding.
Integrated care that leverages scientific advances, and at
the same time respects the wonderful traditions and wisdom of our ancestors is
the need of the hour. “Yoga” a valuable ancient Indian resource, which has now
become available to the whole world and bears testimony to our contribution
towards health and well being. The introduction of Yoga in schools across
India, will definitely improve the metal wellness of our society and I hope
this will be achieved comprehensively within a few years.
A famous physician once said “we cure
sometimes, control often, comfort always”! We still are in an era where total
cure or total prevention remain elusive for a number of health conditions. We
must however, “care always”, and this tradition of “care” is something that has
enriched our Indian culture and family systems for centuries. It is very
important in my view that we preserve these traditions of yore and perpetuate
them for global benefit. I understand for example that the value of
our “joint family system” is being re-recognised today, especially with
regard to the care of children, elderly and the ailing. I do hope that we will
continue as a society to retain our social fabric of the “integrated family”.
Indeed, grandparents and grandchildren share such wonderful relationships that
we must engender and encourage their development.
I am very happy also to see “Autism-
the Buddhi Book” a compilation of facts about this important condition that
affects the brain and mind.
To have a better awareness about
autism the World Autism Awareness Day is observed in the first week of
April. The objective is to end
stigmatization of discrimination against those afflicted by autism. The UN General Assembly resolution passed in
November, 2007 called for the observance of this day with a view towards
bringing together all organizations who are engaged in research diagnosis and
treatment of autism. The UN Secretary
General Antonio Guterre has also given a call to be more understanding of the
problems faced by autistic children and their families, by saying “let us all
play a part in changing attitudes toward persons with autism and in recognizing
their rights as citizens, who, like everyone else, are entitled to claim those
rights and make decisions for their lives in accordance with their own will and
preferences.”
This sharing of knowledge through
books, is a very important aspect of social development, as such knowledge is
meant to be free and enjoyed by all. I am very happy today to have released a
Tamil translation of the Autism book, making the knowledge shared available to
a wide section of society. I hope key stakeholders, doctors and other medical
professionals, rehabilitation professionals, teachers in special schools and
families of those children affected by disorders of the brain and mind, all
benefit, both by reading these works and by the knowledge sharing of high
quality that I understand is taking place here today. Physicians, nurses
and healthcare professionals, like teachers, are the pillars of human society
and are responsible for the development and maintenance of human
capital. Their empowerment through education and professional
interactions is extremely important. Programs like today’s give us hope that brain
health and mental wellness are achievable goals for our society, especially for
our children.
I take this opportunity to wish you
all well in this pursuit of knowledge and its application in the valuable work
that you are doing, caring for the weakest and most disadvantaged in our
communities. I would like to pay tribute here, to the parents and families of
children, affected by conditions of brain and mind, like Autism. We recognise
that you are engaged in a lifetime of constant effort, in caring for one you love.
I pray the almighty gives you ample strength and rewards your efforts with
constant and visible change in your loved one. I understand that a proportion
of children with such conditions have unique abilities like music, art, memory
and mathematics and would urge you seek and identify “that which your child
enjoys and excels in” so that your combined quality of life as a family and
your child’s human capital, achieve their optimum.
As the Mahatma said, “strength does
not come from physical capacity alone, it comes from indomitable will” and I
pray to the almighty that you all may be so blessed as you work towards
restoring brain health and mental wellness, the two being inexorably conjoined.
Let me end by appealing to the "karma yogi” in each one of you: perform
your actions by invoking body, mind, intellect and senses, without attachment
or ego. It is what “The Problem Child” needs from each one of us assembled
here.
India has had a continuing
civilization for more than 5000 years by following the path of sustainable
development. Several challenges have
been posed to the maintenance of equilibrium in Indian society. Solutions were provided by leading thinkers,
philosophers and learned people from time to time. Though the areas of concern for the problem
child have not been fully understood, I am sure that conferences such as these
will decipher them within a short span of time. Once the causes are understood a solution to
prevent or at least mitigate the occurrence will not be far behind.
Life is a beautiful gift of God. We must learn to treasure it and use this
special gift for the benefit of society”
.
