Karnataka to Add Narayana Guru Study Material to School and College Textbooks

Study material on the life, writings and social contributions of Sri Narayana Guru will be incorporated into school and college textbooks, Karnataka's Minister for Primary and Secondary Education, Madhu Bangarappa, has said.

The announcement was made in Mysuru on Saturday, during celebrations marking the reformer's Jayanthi. Mr. Bangarappa said it was society's collective responsibility to pass on the legacy of a figure who championed human values to future generations.

Describing Narayana Guru as both a spiritual leader and a social reformer, the minister said the guru recognised that education was essential for people to live with dignity and respect. Born in Kerala, Narayana Guru gave the message to "make schools bigger and the pomp of temples smaller", Mr. Bangarappa said, adding that the reformer impressed upon the world that an education capable of creating awareness was superior to blind beliefs and superstitions.

Chamaraja Assembly constituency MLA K. Harish Gowda, who also spoke at the event, said Narayana Guru worked to rid society of discrimination, untouchability and superstitions, and strove to build an egalitarian order founded on the principle of "one caste, one religion, one God".

According to Mr. Gowda, the guru's primary objective, alongside the construction of temples, was to build schools and to give the highest priority to the pursuit of knowledge.