Bengaluru: The true worth of life does not come from money or power, but from good conduct, said educationist Dr. Gururaj Karajagi, urging students to cultivate values along with education.
Speaking on the topic “Universal Human Values” at a monthly lecture organized virtually by Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU), he stated that not everything can be achieved through money alone. “Education that fails to impart values is meaningless. It is unfortunate that today, even well-educated people are getting involved in murder, extortion, and corruption,” he said.
He added, “We often hear that values are declining today. That’s not true. Values themselves are not diminishing — people are simply failing to practice them. Everything in the world is measured by its price; we tend to measure everything in terms of money. But we must understand that the value of human life cannot be measured in monetary terms.”
“Those who live only for themselves are forgotten by the world, but those who live for others are remembered forever. Living for oneself is the path to mortality; living for the good of others is the path to immortality. The number of people who cry when you die shows how successful your life has been,” he observed.
Citing examples of great personalities like Mahatma Gandhi and Basavanna, Dr. Karajagi said, “Had these great souls lived only for themselves, we wouldn’t be remembering them today. Gandhi had the power to turn enemies into friends. We too must learn to see everyone as a friend.”
Dr. H.R. Sudarshan Reddy, Director of VTU’s Bengaluru Regional Office, said, “Through the Universal Human Values (UHV) Cell, we have been organizing these monthly lectures since 2023. We have hosted lectures by former vice-chancellors, AICTE chairpersons, and eminent educationists. Our goal is to instill human values among students.”
VTU Registrar Dr. Prasad B. Rampure, Registrar (Evaluation) Dr. U.G. Ujwal, and Finance Officer Dr. Prashant Nayak was also present. Over 100,000 students from 225 engineering colleges participated in this lecture program.
