Indian President Greets Citizens on 73rd Independence Day

Indian Hon’ble President Shri Ram Nath Kovind greeted the Indians on 73rd Independence Day which marked August 15.

Kovind said: "We complete 72 years as a free nation at a very special juncture. In a few weeks from now, on October 2nd, we will celebrate the 150th birth anniversary of the father of our 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."

Contemporary India is very different from India in which Mahatma Gandhi lived and worked. Even so, Gandhiji remains extremely relevant. In his advocacy of sustainability, ecological sensitivity and living in harmony with nature, he anticipated pressing challenges of our times.

[caption id="attachment_72260" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Indian Expats Celebrate Independence Day[/caption]

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.

The illustrious generation that led us to freedom did not perceive independence only in terms of transfer of political power. They considered it a stepping stone in a longer and larger process of nation-building and national welding. Their objective was to improve the life of each inpidual, each family and of society as a whole.

The Indian president stressed the importance of nation-building – a continuous process, of which independence was a key milestone – requires every institution and every stakeholder to work in tandem, to work in harmony and to work in togetherness.

Nation-building, at the end of the day, is about creating that optimal partnership between voters and their representatives, between citizens and their government, and between civil society and state.

[caption id="attachment_72261" align="aligncenter" width="739"] The Indian Embassy in Cairo[/caption]

"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 policymakers to study and appreciate the message being sent by citizens and to be responsive to the thoughts and wishes of our people," He added.

The government can build financial infrastructure in the form of a transparent, inclusive banking system, an online-friendly tax system and easier access to capital for legitimate entrepreneurs.

The government can build physical infrastructure in the form of housing for the poorest of the poor, and availability of energy, toilets, and water in every home. The government can build institutional infrastructure to address the paradox of floods and calamities in some parts of the country, and water scarcity in other parts.

It can build connectivity infrastructure in the form of wider, better highways and safer, faster trains; airports in the interiors of our country, and ports that dot our coasts. And near-universal data access that allows common citizens to benefit from Digital India.

The government can build social infrastructure in the form of a comprehensive healthcare program, and facilities and provisions for the mainstreaming of our Divyang fellow citizens. The government can build legal infrastructure by enacting laws that advance gender equality, as well as by removing obsolete laws to make life easier for our people.

However, what is more, crucial is for society and for citizens to use and nurture this infrastructure – for the benefit of themselves and their families, and the benefit of society and us all.

[caption id="attachment_72262" align="aligncenter" width="739"] Indians Celebrate The Independence Day[/caption]

Through the millennia and the centuries, India has rarely been a judgmental society. Rather, it has had an easy-going, live-and-let-live organizing principle. Indians respect each other’s identity – whether born of the region, language or faith; or even the absence of faith. India’s history and destiny, India’s legacy and future, are a function of coexistence and conciliation, of reform and reconciliation – of expanding our hearts and embracing the ideas of others.

"This spirit of cooperation is what we bring to our diplomatic endeavors as well, as we gladly share our experiences and our strengths with partner countries in every continent. At home and abroad, in domestic discourse and foreign policy, let us always be conscious of the magic and uniqueness of India."

India are 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.

India will never lose its capacity to listen to the feeblest voice; that it will never lose sight of its ancient ideals; that it will forget neither its sense of fairness nor its sense of adventure.