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Address to the Nation by the
President of India
Her Excellency Shrimati Pratibha Devisingh Patil
on the eve of the 64th Independence Day
14th August, 2010.
My Fellow Citizens,
On the eve of our 64th Independence Day, I extend my warmest
greetings to all of you from all walks of life, living in India and
overseas. I convey special greetings to the brave personnel of our
Armed Forces and the Para-military forces who guard our frontiers
and to our Central and State police, as well as our internal
security forces. I also compliment every citizen of this country
whose hard work, productive prowess and enterprising zeal have put
India among the front ranks of the nations of the world. I convey my
heartfelt condolences to all those who have lost their loved ones,
suffered injuries and whose properties have been destroyed in the
recent cloud burst in Leh.
Dear Citizens,
Every year, we celebrate our Independence Day with great fervor as
well as joy and justifiably so, as it commemorates that day, when
after many years of subjugation, our country gained its freedom.
Indeed, in the annals of history, 15th of August 1947 will always be
remembered as a day of an extraordinary accomplishment, of when
India won its freedom with unparalleled fortitude and unique means.
Under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi, our movement for attaining
freedom through Ahimsa and Satyagraha spread throughout the country,
inspiring people in a manner rarely seen. Millions and millions of
our men and women, willingly and enthusiastically responded to his
call. They united to become an immense force that defeated the
mightiest colonial power. Free India, was thus born.
As citizens of free India, we must reflect on the values and
principles which were in the minds and hearts of those who fought
and sacrificed for our freedom. They drew inspiration from the
values nurtured in the country through millennia. Pandit Jawaharlal
Nehru once described Gandhiji as, “embodying the old spirit of
India, who held aloft the torch of freedom”. Gandhiji’s thoughts and
his life were truly an expression of the philosophy of our ancient
civilization in which peace and harmony, non-violence and truth,
human dignity and compassion were given great prominence. Are we now
forgetting these principles? Are we overlooking them? No, we should
not. These are eternal values, which have sustained our nation, our
society and also each one of us as individuals. Gandhiji’s thinking
continues to have deep influence and is of increasing relevance in
the world, with 2nd October, his birthday, being observed every year
as the International Day of Non-Violence.
Dear Citizens,
We are at a historic phase when the world is shifting course. It is
impacting our economy, polity, trade, commerce, education and pace
of life. In this era of transformation, India definitely cannot lag
behind. Our entire effort must be to ensure that there is overall
development in which all people prosper. However, can our political
approaches, economic progress and scientific advances be combined
with values of human welfare, tolerance, mutual respect and
selflessness propounded by learned men, leaders, philosophers and
thinkers of our country? Our past and our future are linked. The
future beckons us and the past guides us.
What has been our past? India, a mature and a harmonious society,
had a rich tradition of learning and a philosophy based on
experiences and knowledge of thousands of years. Swami Vivekananda
spoke of India as, “the ancient land, where wisdom made its home
before it went into any other country”. Ours is a land where
religions have taken birth and all religions of the world have found
a place. Ours is a land where different languages, cultures and
customs flourished. So well known was India for its piety,
scholarship and centres of study, that it attracted travellers from
across the world. From early times, India always looked at progress
and moral growth as mutually inclusive rather than mutually
exclusive concepts. India’s depth of thought was matched by its
material prosperity. Its fine goods, its spices, its silk, its
cotton, were much sought after. India’s traders went to distant
lands both to the East and the West, carrying with them not only
goods from India, but also its reputation as a land of great culture
and wealth.
We are the inheritors of this great civilization whose legacy has
been passed on from generation to generation. We can be worthy heirs
if we follow, in the true sense, the ideals of political, social and
economic justice. Lip service will not do. We have to be ardent
adherents. We are also duty-bound to pass on this rich inheritance
to our younger generation - the 540 million youth. We place great
hope on them and rightly so. They have been demonstrating their
capabilities and strengths in various fields of human activity in
India and abroad. Whether in multi-national business enterprises or
the IT industry or financial organizations or global scientific
bodies, young Indians are joining their ranks and making their mark.
In sports, they have been bringing laurels to the country. Our youth
are the architects of the nation’s future. We must educate them and
inculcate in them a spirit of sacrifice, dedication, patriotism and
service to the nation. This way, they would be ready to face the
future with confidence and build on the achievements made so far.
Dear Citizens,
Where does our country stand today? Our credentials as the world’s
largest democracy have been further reinforced with the deepening of
democracy at all levels. We have elected bodies existing from the
national to the grassroot level. Democracy has given citizens the
right to participate in the affairs of the nation. It has become a
way of life in India. On the economic front, we are ranked as the
world’s fourth largest economy based on purchasing power parity and
one of the fastest growing. The resilience of our economy was
evident during the global financial crisis which we weathered,
better than many other countries. The future holds great potential
and promise. However, many issues demand attention and the way we
address them is important.
Foremost, among our tasks is to ensure the welfare of all. It is for
this reason that India has adopted inclusive growth as a pillar of
its economic edifice and is pro-actively pursuing it. Our task will
be complete only when no one sleeps on a hungry stomach, when no one
sleeps on the footpath and when every child is in school. Therefore,
fittingly, education, capacity building, housing, healthcare and
nutrition are a priority on the agenda of the Government. All of us
should also pause to think how as responsible citizens, each one of
us can contribute to Government efforts in these areas. It is a huge
task to be achieved for a billion plus population, but we should not
be overwhelmed. In every village and in every colony of every town,
city or metropolis, people can come forward to form groups to work
for the disadvantaged. Some amongst us may ask, what difference can
these small efforts make? For them, I recall a story of a man
walking down a beach, moments after a storm. He noticed a person
ahead of him picking up starfish washed ashore and throwing them
back into the sea. He asked the person how his efforts could make
any difference, as the beach was long and there were lakhs of
starfish washed ashore who would die. The person looked at the
starfish in his hand and threw it into the water saying, "it makes a
difference to this one". The message is clear - every effort, big or
small, does make a difference.
Dear Citizens,
I believe that empowerment through education is important as it
opens many doors of opportunity. The Right to Education Act has made
free and compulsory primary education for children a fundamental
right. It is important that secondary education is also
universalized, as we seek to increase enrollment levels in higher
education. This will provide the “brain power” for the nation. We
are living in an age where innovation is shaping many areas of human
activity. New technologies can enhance our agriculture and
industrial productivity. Efficient technologies can facilitate the
optimum utilization of capital, labour and resources. We have seen
the impact of mobile telephone connectivity even in our villages.
Innovation and invention were always given weightage as agents of
change but perhaps never as high as now. The categorization of
nations as rich and poor, developed and developing may well be
overtaken by a new definition of those nations that innovate
rapidly, as opposed to those which do so on a lower scale. To be in
the forefront of cutting edge technologies, research and development
in all fields must be encouraged and pursued in the country.
We must also speed up the construction of physical infrastructure.
We need new roads, ports, airports, power projects as well as
reinforcement of existing facilities. The augmentation will fill the
infrastructural deficit that impedes overall economic growth and is,
in many ways, out of sync with our image of an emerging global
player.
Our industries must continue to grow. Indian companies should
persist with efforts to be efficient and globally competitive. Some
are already making their presence felt overseas. Our agriculture
requires a fresh perspective, with new and radical ideas to steer it
towards a second Green Revolution, so that agriculture production,
productivity and profitability are increased. This is essential for
our food security as well as price stabilization. At the same time,
agriculture cannot be looked at in isolation. It needs to be
connected with other sectors of the economy. Linking industry with
agriculture would provide a basis for growth of industry in the
rural areas and also promote agriculture business. Models of farming
which give economies of scale, while protecting the interests of the
farmer must be explored. Efficient distribution networks that link
farmers with the consumers should be encouraged, so as to bring
greater remuneration to farmers for their produce, while giving a
price advantage to the consumer. Value addition on-site will
generate employment and income opportunities for the local
population. Support to the rural poor and farm labour through skill
development, vocational training and social welfare programmes, must
be a priority. The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment
Guarantee Act is an important mechanism for providing livelihood. If
specific local conditions are taken into account in its
implementation and innovative approaches for convergence of various
Government schemes encouraged, rural growth will be greatly
enhanced. For example, agricultural productivity in rain fed areas
can be increased with improved farm practices as well as
conservation of soil and water, with the construction of farm ponds
and village tanks and their proper upkeep and de-silting.
Undertaking such activities in a coordinated manner can make a
meaningful difference.
However, achievement of goals and targets is dependent on an
effective governance structure. Powers have been given to those in
Government for formulating policies and for implementation on the
field. It should always be remembered that this power must be used
in a responsible manner. Zero tolerance towards corruption and
working with the highest standards of public service will definitely
result in efficient governance systems and will have a multiplier
effect on development and growth.
Dear Citizens,
We must be law abiding and also work for moral upliftment. I mention
this because with an increasing emphasis on materialism, there is
growing insensitivity towards each other. Strong family bonds are
weakening. Social consciousness is on the decline. Some social evils
persist. This must change. Today is the best opportunity when
ground-breaking achievements alongwith a moral and ethical
renaissance can take place. In this way, progress would be anchored
in values of compassion, tolerance and selfless service, which are
important for making human life meaningful and purposeful. These
values will make our multi-cultural, multi-religious, multi-lingual
society more robust. They will also give us a strong base on which a
stable structure of prosperity and progress can be raised. For
example, as a kite surges high into the sky, it is affected by the
breeze and the clouds. If the string is firm and skillfully handled,
the kite will stay afloat, otherwise it can go adrift, be cut off,
fall and be destroyed. The kite is much like our growth voyage with
the string and the firmness with which it is handled, representing
the ethical base. India is the abode of infinite values – let us
strive to restore these as we go along the path of progress.
Tomorrow’s India will be constructed by the hard work of today. I
call on all citizens to contribute to making the future of the
nation, stronger and brighter. Let everyone understand their role
and responsibility to achieve this. As I said earlier, every effort
counts. Nation building demands the ability to work diligently and
patiently, where the reward is the growth of the nation rather than
personal promotion. It requires unity of purpose and the ability to
focus on issues which unite. It requires a spirit of conciliation.
This is possible when dialogue is chosen as the channel for
communication. By listening to each other, respecting each other’s
viewpoint and understanding one another, we can address issues
before us. The proponents of extreme ideologies and the followers of
Left Wing Extremism must abandon their path of violence. I call on
them to join national efforts for growth and development. I hope
that everybody, including the civil society will come forward and
move them in this direction. Protracted development efforts will be
needed in these areas.
Dear Citizens,
India’s growth and progress will take place in an environment that
is also influenced by global events. We believe that peace is
essential, if prosperity is to be achieved. Terrorism poses the
biggest threat to global peace, stability and security. To defeat
it, all nations of the world must work collectively, so that
terrorists have no sanctuaries, no training grounds, no access to
financial resources, no infrastructural support, and no defenders of
their ideology. Violence and hatred can have no place in the world.
Indeed, the interests that we share as human beings are far more
powerful that forces which are divisive. Across the world, the
message of peace and not of destruction must spread, if this Century
powered by the most rapid advances in science and technology, is to
be the Century of the most spectacular gains made by humankind,
accompanied with human values. I am confident that India will
contribute substantially to the forward march of the human race.
The human spirit has a tremendous capacity to reach new horizons.
With faith in ourselves, faith in our capacity to work together and
faith in success, we will continue our journey. We have the talent,
to create a great nation; and with our collective will and hard work
we will do so. And as we progress and as our flag proudly flutters,
like it will tomorrow on Independence Day, we can with pride cite
the lines of a well known Indianpoet,
Which means:-
Across the skies your fame has spread,
with every breeze your strength grows.
With these words, I once again wish all Fellow Citizens peace,
prosperity and progress on the occasion of Independence Day.
Jai Hind. |
