He was speaking at a function held to flag off the diamond jubilee celebrations of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan at the Bhavan's auditorium, Chowpatty.

Showering praise on the founder of the Bhavan, K M Munshi, the President said: ``This is a moving occasion, because I'm obliged a great deal to K M Munshi, whom I first met in Bombay in 1944.'' The president recounted how, after he submitted an article for Munshi's weekly Social Welfare, the latter asked him to become its London correspondent. ``I went to London for higher studies and contributed regularly for three years. Of course, the eight pounds a month I received in return was a substantial addition to my Tata scholarship,'' he said.

The three years' association brought Narayanan close to Munshi, and he invited Munshi for his wedding on his return to India. Atthat time, Munshi was Minister for Food and Agriculture, and the picture taken with him at the wedding, the President said, remains one of his prized possessions.``The Bhavan has made a crucial contribution to the advancement of Indian culture and values,'' Narayanan said.

Inaugurating the Bhavan's new centre of the Gandhi Institute of Computer Education and Information Technology, Narayanan said computers have created a decentralised society. Murli Deora, vice-chairperson of Gandhi Computer Centre, said there is a large reservoir of young scientists in India, but the number of unemployed young men and women is even larger. Chief Minister Manohar Joshi praised the Bhavan's role in preserving and propagating Indian culture.