Heartfulness & ICAR Host “Kannada Agro Youth Summit” To Nurture And Empower Young Agri Scholars

* Over 1000 Agriculture students come together at Kanha Shanti Vanam  

Heartfulness in association with the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR), Govt. of India has organised “Agro Youth Summit – Kannada” at Kanha Shanti Vanam – the Headquarters of Heartfulness in the outskirts of Hyderabad city. This was the fourth Agri Youth Summit this year held by Heartfulness with the current one having a special focus on agri scholars from Karnataka. Yet two other Agro Youth Summits by Heartfulness were held for Hindi speakers in the months of June at Kanha Shanti Vanam. The current summit with focus on Karnataka based agri scholars is being organised between 13-15 August 2023 and inaugurated by Mr. Chetan Gonaik, National Media Coordinator, Indian Youth Congress; andMr. K N Suresh Chandra, Retd Deputy Director, State Department of Horticulture, Govt of Karnataka under the Divine Guidance of Rev. Daaji – Spiritual Guide of Heartfulness, President of Shri Ram Chandra Mission and Padma Bhushan Awardee.  

The purpose of the summit is to build network among the students, industry, Government, corporates and other stakeholders, to impart knowledge of traditional agricultural practices with scientific background, share latest developments in agriculture field and give on-the-field experience to all the implementation, research work in horticulture, agriculture, forestry and other related areas happening at Kanha Shanti Vanam.  

Mr. Chetan Gonaik, National Media Coordinator, Indian Youth Congress said, “The Agro Youth Summit by Heartfulness and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research is instrumental in empowering the youth of Karnataka. Agriculture is the backbone of our economy and there needs a renewed interest in Agriculture among the youth of the country. Agricultural sector has made a great progress with India adopting modern infrastructure and technology. Our youth must make the country the food granary of the world.” 

“It is an exhilarating experience for the scholars as well as the agricultural stakeholders who have joined here to gain the right knowledge under the Divine Guidance of Rev. Daaji who has been spearheading and motivating a whole generation of youth in the country and around the world. Agriculture being the mainstay of this nation needs empowered youth. An experience such as this summit can be crucial in developing their existing knowledge and skills,” said Mr. K N Suresh Chandra, Retd Deputy Director, State Department of Horticulture, Govt of Karnataka. 

Rev. Daaji – Spiritual Guide of Heartfulness, President of Shri Ram Chandra Mission and Padma Bhushan Awardee said, “It is our aim to bring Heartfulness at the centre of everything – be it in empowering the youth or the agricultural scenario in our country. We are giving focus on the every state in the respective summit not only to train the scholars on the practical skills and advancements in agriculture, but also bring in them the integrity that is required to be balanced individuals who can endure the life challenges and strengthen their spirit.” 

The summit is significant especially since over 2,00,000 students studying agriculture in India. With an MoU signed between Heartfulness Education Trust and ICAR in August 2022, scholars and academicians can now utilise the shared resources. The students are expected to gain insights into the Heartfulness facility as well at Kanha Shanti Vanam through their tissue culture lab, bio charcoal projects, hydroponics etc. for exploration. The visit at the summit also carries course credits (2 credit courses for 30 hours) and the attendance is therefore counted. The summit also saw Independence Day Celebrations at the Heartfulness Learning Centre. The next agro youth summit will be held in October.  

About Heartfulness: Heartfulness offers a simple set of meditative practices and lifestyle changes, first developed at the turn of the twentieth century and formalized into teaching through Shri Ram Chandra Mission in 1945 in India with a goal to bring peace, happiness and wisdom to one heart at a time. These practices are a modern form of Yoga designed to support contentment, inner calm, and stillness, compassion, courage, and clarity of thought, as the first step towards a purposeful life. They are simple and easily adopted and are appropriate for people from all walks of life, cultures, religious beliefs, and economic situations, who are over the age of fifteen. Ongoing training in Heartfulness practices is going on at thousands of schools and colleges, and over 100,000 professionals are meditating in corporations, non-governmental, and government bodies worldwide. More than 5,000 Heartfulness Centers are supported by many thousands of certified volunteer trainers and millions of practitioners in 160 countries. 

Photo Caption : A group of agriculture students seen sharing a moment with Rev. Daaji – Spiritual Guide of Heartfulness, President of Shri Ram Chandra Mission and Padma Bhushan Awardee at Kanha Shanti Vanam – the Heartfulness Headquarters, during the "Kannada Agro Youth Summit" held in association with ICAR.