The festival, Guru Purnima, traditionally celebrated by Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains, aims to honor teachers who have dedicated their lives to enlightening people with little or no monetary expectations.
To mark the occasion of Guru Purnima, Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ yesterday launched a people’s campaign, ‘Selfie withGuru‘ (#SelfiewithGuru). The minister invited participation from all to post their selfies with teachers on social media and highlight the importance of teachers in our lives. This year, Guru Purnima falls on July 16, which is celebrated to honor Gurus (or Teachers).
In a recorded message, the education minister asked the students and all those who associated with the educational activities to post their selfies to mark their respect for teachers.
“To mark the occasion of Guru Purnima, Union HRD Minister @DrRPNishank today launched a people’s campaign #SelfiewithGuru inviting participation from all to post their selfie with their teachers on social media and highlight the importance of teachers in our lives,” the education ministry said in the accompanying tweet.
The festival, Guru Purnima, traditionally celebrated by Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains, aims to honor teachers who have dedicated their lives to enlightening people with little or no monetary expectations.
The festival is celebrated by Buddhists in honor of Lord Buddha who gave his first sermon on this day at Sarnath in Uttar Pradesh.
Moreover, in the yogic tradition, this day is commemorated as the occasion when Lord Shiva became the first Guru, as he started the transmission of yoga to the Saptarishis. Most Hindus celebrate this day in the honor of the great sage Vyasa, who is known to be one of the greatest gurus in ancient Hindu traditions.
The festival of Guru Purnima is celebrated in countries including India and Nepal among others. On this day, devotees worship their spiritual gurus and offer them gifts. They visit temples and seek their blessings. Most people observe fast on this day to pay respect to their Guru and sustain on mostly fresh fruits and curd. People hold pujas, offer gratitude and pray for the goodness of one and all. In ashrams and monasteries, prayers are recited by the students in honor of their gurus.
