New Delhi: President Ram Nath Kovind
addressed the nation on the eve of the 72 Independence Day today. In his
21 minute speech, President Kovind spoke of the contributions of
Mahatma Gandhi and his noble mantra" on the power of 'ahinsa' or
non-violence. The president said that contentious issues and extraneous
debates should not distract us at a "pivotal moment". President Kovind
addressed a range of issues in his speech including that of the role of
women in our society and the choices they are entitled to, amid concerns
over their privacy and safety.
Here is the full text of President Ram Nath Kovind's 72 Independence Day address:
Dear Fellow Citizens
My
greetings to you as we complete 71 years as an independent nation.
Tomorrow we will commemorate our 72nd Independence Day. For every
Indian, whether living at home or anywhere else in the world, August 15
is sacred. It is marked on our calendars as a celebration of our
sovereignty. We unfurl our national flag with great joy and enthusiasm
in workplaces, municipalities, panchayats, colleges, schools, homes and
neighborhoods. Our Tricolor is a symbol of our national pride. It is a
constant reminder of our striving and our self-belief. It is a day to
look back with satisfaction and gratitude for what we have been able to
achieve due to the efforts of successive generations of our elders. And
it is a day to renew our resolve to fill the gaps that still remain in
our nation building project - gaps that our talented young people will
no doubt fill.
Freedom came to our country on the Midnight of
August 14-15, 1947. It was the result of years and decades and centuries
of sacrifice and valour on the part of our ancestors and our revered
freedom fighters. These were men and women of rare courage and
foresight. They came from all regions of the country, all sections of
society, all communities and all social and economic groups. They could
easily have compromised and settled for some personal benefit, but they
did not. Their commitment to India - to a free, sovereign, plural and
egalitarian India - was absolute. It was my privilege to honour these
freedom fighters on the anniversary of 'Quit India Day' on 9th August in
Rashtrapati Bhavan.
We are fortunate that we have inherited the
legacy of such remarkable patriots. They left us with a free India, but
they also left us with unfinished tasks for the development of our
society, for the empowerment of the proverbial last person, for their
liberation from poverty, and social and economic inequality. Every
breath in our collective life as a nation is a tribute to our freedom
fighters - and a commitment to accomplish whatever is still
unaccomplished.
If we define freedom in narrow, political terms,
then August 15, 1947, marks a closure. It was the day the political
struggle against an imperial power culminated in success and in our
Independence Day. But freedom is a broader concept. It is not fixed and
finite. Freedom is a constant and relentless endeavour. Even decades
after 1947, each one of us can contribute in the manner of a freedom
fighter. We can do so if we expand the frontiers of freedom and of
opportunity for our fellow Indians and our beloved India.
Our
farmers grow food for tens of thousands of fellow citizens whom they
have not individually met and will never meet. They are upholding our
freedom by ensuring food security and nutrition for our children. As we
assist our farmers by providing access to technology and other
facilities for enhanced productivity and enhanced incomes, we live up to
the principles of our freedom struggle.
Our Armed Forces stand
guard valiantly on our borders, up in the cruel climate of the mountains
or under the blazing sun, or in the skies or at sea. They are upholding
our freedom by ensuring security from external threats. As we give them
better weapons and equipment, build supply chains for such equipment in
India itself, or ensure welfare benefits for our soldiers, we live up
to the principles of our freedom struggle.
Our police and
paramilitary forces take on a variety of challenges. In battling
terrorism, in fighting crime and law and order disturbances, or even in
helping ordinary citizens by holding their hands while they cross a
flooded street. In doing this, they are upholding our civic freedom. As
we improve their professional and personal conditions, we live up to the
principles of our freedom struggle.
Women have a special role in
our society. The expansion of freedom in our country in many senses
amounts to the expansion of freedom for women in our country. This is
true whether we see them as mothers, sisters, daughters or simply as
women who are entitled to a life of their choosing - and deserving of
the opportunity and the security to fulfil their potential. They could
do this as sheet-anchors of our families or as absolutely critical
entrants to our institutions of higher learning and our workforce. The
choice is theirs; as a nation and as a society we must ensure that they
have the right and the ability to exercise that choice.
As we take
this process further, by facilitating credit for women-run enterprises
and start-ups or by easier availability of LPG in millions of kitchens
and millions of homes, we live up to the principles of our freedom
struggle.
Our young people, both boys and girls, represent the
hope and optimism of India. Our freedom struggle saw the active
participation of the young and the old, but its energy was provided by
the young. They chose different modes or activism in their quest for
liberty - but their resolve and their idealism, their passion for a free
India, for a better India, for a more equal India, was nonnegotiable.
Today,
as we ignite the fire within our youth, by building capacities for
skilling and scholarship; for technology, engineering and
entrepreneurship; for creativity and crafts; for playing music and
producing mobile apps, for excelling in sports, we are harnessing the
unlimited human capital of our youth. In doing so, we live up to the
principles of our freedom struggle.
I have given only a few
examples; there could be many more. The reality is that every Indian who
does his or her job with sincerity and commitment, who contributes to
society by being true to a professional ethic, be it the doctor's ethic,
the nurse's ethic, the teacher's ethic, the public servant's ethic, the
factory worker's ethic, the business-person's ethic, the ethic of those
who have to care for ageing parents who brought them up with love and
sacrifice - each of these and many others are in their own way upholding
the values of freedom. They are providing the fruits and goods and
services of freedom to fellow citizens. Every citizen of India who does
his or her duty sincerely, fulfils a personal and professional
obligation and keeps to a given word is, at a fundamental level,
upholding the principles of our freedom struggle. I would argue that
every Indian who does not jump the queue and respects the civic space
and rights of those ahead in the line also lives up to the principles of
our freedom struggle. It's a very small gesture. Let us try and abide
by it.
Dear Fellow Citizens
You may wonder if what I have
said so far would not have held true in the years gone by, maybe 10 or
20 years ago or even earlier. To some extent, it certainly would. Even
so, we are at a juncture in our history that is very different from any
period we have so far experienced. We are at the cusp of achieving many
of our long-awaited goals. Universal access to electricity, the
elimination of open defecation, the elimination of homelessness, the
very elimination of extreme poverty is achievable and attainable. We are
at a pivotal moment. Let contentious issues and extraneous debates not
distract us.
After four years, we will be marking the 75th
anniversary of Independence. In less than 30 years, our people will
celebrate the 100th anniversary of India as a free nation. The decisions
we take today, the foundations we lay today, the projects we undertake
today, the social and economic investments we make today - whether for
the immediate future or for the medium term - will determine where we
stand. The pace of change and development in our country is rapid and
appreciable. And as per our civilisational traditions, it is driven by
our people, by civil society and by a partnership between citizen and
government. Its focus, again in keeping with the essence of Indian
thought, is on a better life for the less fortunate.
I will give
you just one example. The Gram Swaraj Abhiyan is taking seven flagship
programmes to the very doorstep of the poorest and the most deprived
among our fellow citizens. These services include access to electricity,
access to the formal banking system, access to welfare and insurance
programmes, and access to immunisation in hitherto hard-to-reach areas.
The Gram Swaraj Abhiyan has been extended to 117 Aspirational Districts
where, seven decades after Independence, we still have stark gaps in the
development narrative.
Not surprisingly there is a significant
overlap between the populations of these districts and historically
weaker communities, such as Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. As
such, we have an opportunity to raise the quality of life for those of
our fellow citizens who have unfortunately remained at the bottom of the
pyramid. The Gram Swaraj Abhiyan is not being carried out by government
alone. It is a collaboration of public agencies and community groups,
with selfless citizens who are keen to share, to empathise and to give
back.
Dear Fellow Citizens
Independence Day is always
special, but this year there is an unusual significance attached to it.
In a few weeks, on 2nd October, we will begin the commemoration of the
150th birthday of Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhiji did not just lead our freedom
struggle. He was and still is our moral compass. In my capacity as the
President of India, I have been fortunate to have travelled around the
world, particularly to a few countries of Africa. Everywhere, across
continents, Gandhiji is mentioned, cherished and remembered as an icon
for all humanity. He is the embodiment of India.
It is not always
simple to understand Gandhiji. He refused to be restricted in his
definition of politics and political activism, or even of freedom. When
Gandhiji and his wife Kasturba, travelled to Champaran in Bihar for the
indigo farmers' agitation, they devoted a considerable part of their
time to educating local people, particularly women and children, as well
as teaching them about hygiene and health. Here, and on other
occasions, Gandhiji personally led the drive for swachhta or
cleanliness. He linked the removal of dirt to an act of self-discipline
and of promoting physical and mental health.
Many were puzzled at
that time. What does all this have to do with freedom? For Gandhiji,
they were the centre-piece of the quest for freedom. This was a
struggle, according to him, not just for political power but for
empowering the poorest of the poor, educating the uneducated, ensuring
the right to a dignified life and a feasible livelihood for every
village, for every neighbourhood, for every family - and for every
individual.
Gandhiji spoke of swadeshi with an uncommon zeal. To
him this was a pride in promoting Indian creativity and an Indian
sensibility. Nevertheless, he was alive to intellectual currents from
the rest of the world. He invited these to enrich our learning. To him,
Indian civilisation was defined by open windows and not closed doors.
This was his concept of swadeshi and it is still relevant to us as we
engage with the world - whether for our economy, our health, education
and social aspirations, or our policy choices.
Perhaps Gandhiji's
most noble mantra was to point out that the power of ahinsa is far
greater than the power of hinsa. The power to stay your hand is far
greater than the power to strike with your hand and hinsa has no place
in the society. The weapon of ahinsa was the most effective weapon
Gandhiji gave us. Like his other teachings, it was rooted in the ancient
wisdom of India and yet has a resonance in the 21st century and in our
daily lives.
This Independence Day, so close to the 150th
anniversary commemoration of Gandhiji, let each of us adapt his ideas
and maxims, in whatever manner we can in our everyday work and conduct. I
can think of no better way to celebrate our freedom. I can think of no
better way to celebrate Indianness.
And this Indianness is not for
us alone. It is part of what our country and our civilisation bring to
the global stage. In the spirit of Gandhiji and the spirit of India, we
believe in the age-old ideal of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam or the "World is
one Family". This is why we demonstrate our concern for entire humanity
by providing assistance to many African countries, taking initiatives on
the issue of climate change, contributing to United Nations
Peacekeeping Operations in different parts of the world, helping
neighbouring countries affected by natural disasters, rescuing people
from other countries along with our own people, trapped in a conflict
zone. In the spirit of Gandhiji and the spirit of India, we share the
practice of yoga for health and well-being, and using technology for
development. We are Gandhiji's children. We dream for all humanity, even
when we walk alone.
Dear Fellow Citizens
In my engagements
with students and university authorities all over India, I have urged
students to spend a few days - maybe four or five days in a year - in a
village. Undertaken as part of what may be termed "University Social
Responsibility", this will help students understand our country. It will
allow them to observe and participate in social welfare programmes and
see how they are making an impact. It will be of benefit to the
individual student and to the village, as well as to the country. It
will also invoke the fervour of our freedom struggle, and the
identification of every citizen with the national mission.
I am
gratified by the idealism and the passion of our young people. There is a
spirit to achieve something for oneself, for one's family, for wider
society and for our country. This is the most moral education we can
wish for. The outcome of education is not merely a degree or a diploma,
but the commitment to help improve the life of another in a way that is
sustainable. This is empathy and fraternity in action. This is the
Indian spirit. This is India, because India belongs to the people of
India - not just to the Government.
Together
we can help every citizen in our country. Together we can conserve our
forests and natural heritage, we can safeguard our monuments for future
generations, we can renew our rural and urban habitats. Together, we can
eliminate poverty, illiteracy and inequality. We can and we must do
this together. The government has a leading role but not the sole role.
Let us use the government's programmes and projects to further our own
efforts. Let us make that sense of ownership our motivation.
With those words, I once again wish you and your families all the best for Independence Day and best wishes for a bright future.
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