When we evaluate the world’s educational institutions and university studies, our country’s IITs are at the forefront. Hyderabad’s IIT is considered one of the country’s top educational institutions. For a long time, a complaint has emerged from the changing value system of Indian society: the blind pursuit of material achievement has so deteriorated the environment that moral values are steadily eroding, and being good and hardworking is no longer a criterion for success. Instead, it seems that the current era has become an era of villains at every level.
These villains are seen everywhere with mustard seeds on their palms. It is believed that India is certainly on the path of economic progress and is poised to become the world’s third largest economic power, but egalitarianism has not come in the country, the gap between the rich and the poor has not been eliminated, but rather has increased.
Hunger, unemployment, and corruption have increased. The happiness on the faces of ordinary people has disappeared. India lags far behind in the Asian Happiness Index, while even its neighboring smaller countries are ahead of it. Now IIT Hyderabad has taken an initiative. For the first time, a new course has been added to the institute’s curriculum to teach students how to be good and how to be happy.
This course will be ready by November. Students will be able to enroll in it at their own discretion, but if they complete it, they will receive additional credit for it in their degree. The IIT states that while technology teaches technical development, this course will also teach character development. Efforts are underway to implement this course in other IITs and then expand it to schools so that the country sees not only material prosperity but also good and virtuous people. In closing, let me also say that happiness and character building are not just about education; they are also about a person’s values. For this, constant introspection is essential, and a desire to be good and happy is essential.