Chennai, December 19, 2018: Peace, joy and happiness were the underlying messages of the Christmas celebrations held at MSSRF today.

Speaking on the occasion, the Executive Director quoted Prof M S Swaminathan’s words and said, “before we green the earth we must green our minds” and pointed out the importance of achieving inner happiness first in order to achieve world happiness. This happiness will translate into better work performance, he said.

Prof Swaminathan, Founder, MSSRF, while praising Christmas celebrations and festivities said festivals such as this were an occasion for everyone to come together and celebrate the joy. He also spoke about the need for unity in diversity. “We need to celebrate cultural diversity before we talk about preserving biodiversity or agro-biodiversity, he said. He quoted how Indians have been praised in the international community for its tolerant nature. He said “the tendency to be tolerant is part of Indian culture. The President of the University of Jerusalem has praised India for being the only nation that has not persecuted Jews in its 2000 year history.”

The highlight of the occasion ofcourse was the arrival of Santa, who immediately lit up the room with his jolly demeanour. He waved and shook hands with the audience and presented sweets.

The Christmas celebrations however could not have been possible without the able performance of the choir that kept the mood joyful throughout. Dr Manjula, Principal Scientist, MSSRF and the host for the event, also made sure there was not a dull moment during the celebrations.

The event ended with the cutting of the Christmas cake by Mrs Mina Swaminathan and Prof Swaminathan. Researchers, scientists, staff and guests of MSSRF participated in this occasion. A big thank you was given to all who came and made the event a joyous one. The event was organised by the Staff Welfare Committee of MSSRF.