President’s Clarion Call For A New India

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The Honourable President of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind in his address to nation on the eve of India’s 73rd Independence Day said, India completes 72 years as a free nation at a very special juncture. In a few weeks from now, on October 2nd, India will celebrate the 150th birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, the guiding light of our successful effort to liberate our nation and of our continuing effort to reform our society of all inequities.

The President said contemporary India is very different from the India in which Mahatma Gandhi lived and worked. Even so, Gandhiji remains extremely relevant. When we design and deliver welfare programmes for our disadvantaged fellow citizens and families, when we seek to harness the power of the sun as renewable energy, we put Gandhian philosophy into action.

Shri Kovind observed this year also marks the 550th birth anniversary of one of the greatest, wisest and most influential Indians of all time – Guru Nanak Devji. The founder of Sikhism, but the reverence and respect he commands go far beyond just our Sikh brothers and sisters. They extend to millions of others in India and across the world.

Earlier this summer, the people of India participated in the 17th general election, the largest democratic exercise in human history. For this the President congratulated Indian voters. They turned up at polling stations in large numbers and with much enthusiasm. They gave expression to their electoral right as well as their electoral responsibility

The state and the government have an important role, as a facilitator and an enabler. As such, it is critical for our key institutions and the policy makers to study and appreciate the message being sent by citizens and to be responsive to the thoughts and wishes of our people. As the President of India, Shri Kovind observed that it is his privilege to travel all over the country, to our diverse states and regions, and meet fellow Indians from all walks of life. Indians can be very different in their tastes and habits, but Indians share the same dreams. Before 1947, the dreams were for a free India. Today, the dreams are for accelerated development; for effective and transparent governance; and yet for a smaller footprint of government in our everyday lives.

The Indian President said the greater opportunity and ability lies in the skill, talent, innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship of 1.3 billion Indians. These attributes are not new. They have kept India going and have nurtured our civilisation for thousands of years. There have been times in our long history when our people encountered hardships and challenges. Even on such occasions, our society proved to be resilient; common families showed uncommon courage; and so many determined individuals found the strength to survive and to thrive. Today, given a facilitative and enabling environment by the government, we can only imagine what India can achieve.

This spirit of cooperation is what we bring to our diplomatic endeavours as well, as we gladly share our experiences and our strengths with partner countries in every continent. Shri Kovind exhorted Indians to be conscious of the magic and uniqueness of India.

India is a young country, a society increasingly defined and shaped by our youth. The energies of our young are being channelized in so many directions – in a quest for excellence from sport to science, from scholarship to soft skills. The greatest gift we can give our young and our coming generations is to encourage and institutionalise a culture of curiosity– especially in the classroom. Let us listen to our children – for through them the future whispers to us.

The President concluded his address by quoting, the inspirational poet Subramania Bharati, who had said,

“We will learn both scripture and science

We will explore both heavens and oceans

We will unravel the mysteries of the moon

And we will sweep our streets clean too”

May these ideals to learn and to listen and to become better, may that curiosity and may that fraternalism, always be with us. May it always bless us, and always bless India.


Script: Prof. Shivaji Sarkar, Political Commentator

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