Youngsters Must Have A Sense Of National Pride In Our Institutions: Justice Gopinath Says It Is Easy To Attack Institutions

Kerala High Court Judge Justice Gopinath P said today at a function that youngsters must have a sense of national pride in our institutions and that though it is easy to find fault with and attack institutions, they must be given the respect they deserve.

The Judge was speaking during a function organised to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram.

"I will urge the youngsters sitting here to have a sense of national pride in our institutions, in what we have today and what we are capable of achieving tomorrow. It is easy today to find faults in the institutions in our country, including the Courts and other institutions which are subject matter of attack", Justice Gopinath said.

He added, "But, we must remember that ultimately, these are all parts of our democracy and it is important that we give them the respect they deserve at all points in time".

The Judge narrated an incident in his life that made him realise that "possibly what is lacking in our country today is a sense of national pride".

While studying for the LLM course, he went to visit the British Museum in London with his Greek friend. As they were walking through the museum, he noticed various exhibits that were taken away from India during the time India was "occupied by the British". Justice Gopinath clarified that he is consciously using the word "occupied".

"I did not feel anything. I was not moved by seeing those exhibits. I looked at it and walked past", Justice Gopinath narrated.

When they reached a section where certain exhibits, which were similarly taken from Greece, were exhibited. The Greek friend then started shouting, saying that the Englishmen are thieves and that they had stolen those exhibits from his country. The security then caught both of them and physically removed them from the museum.

"This was an eye-opener", Justice Gopinath said.

The event included distribution of prizes to lawyers and law students who participated in a Vande Mataram singing competition. Justice Gopinath clarified that he doesn't want to comment on certain aspects of Vande Mataram that could end up in litigation before the Court.

However, he said, "What we lack today is a sense of national pride. While we may not insist that everyone should sing the Vande Mataram, we necessarily must convey a message that this is part of our national heritage. It is part of our culture. It is a part of our history. Therefore, as a matter of national pride, everyone must necessarily pay respects to what we refer to as the National Song".

He congratulated the organisers for organising such a function and said that he believes that functions like this will help in the generation of national pride in citizens.

The event was organised by the High Court unit of the Bharatheeya Abhibhashaka Parishad, the Kerala wing of the Akhil Bharatiya Adhivakta Parishad, which is India's largest lawyers' organisation.