Sixty eight years ago, we the people of India gave to ourselves a Constitution to secure to all our citizens justice, liberty, equality and fraternity. We became a sovereign democratic republic.
A republic (Latin: res publica) is a form of government in which the country is considered a “public matter”, not the private concern or property of the rulers. As we celebrate the 69th Republic Day today, we recall the words of Rajendra Prasad as President of the Constituent Assembly: “After all, a Constitution … acquires life because of the men who control it and operate it, and India needs nothing more than a set of honest men who will have the interest of the country before them.”
Over the last seven decades, we should look back with legitimate pride that our country has not only adhered to its democratic Constitution but has also made tremendous progress in breathing life into this document and deepening the democratic ethos.
We have progressively put the ‘public’ at the centre of our ‘Republic’ and emerged not only as the largest democracy but also as a country that continues to remain a glowing symbol of a vibrant, pluralistic culture with a flourishing parliamentary system, with the Constitution acting as the bulwark in protecting the rights of a free society.
No nation can ignore its history. It should be remembered that India was invaded and ruled by foreigners for several hundred years due to an absence of unity among its own people. Great leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and BR Ambedkar forged a new national identity and integrated over 500 princely states into one nation. As Patel said “the complete elimination of centuries old autocracies” was an extraordinarily swift, adroit and peaceful transition.
Throughout these 70 years, we have had moments of glory and achievement as well as moments of agony and aberrations like the dark days of Emergency. However we, as a nation, have never lost our deep commitment to our democratic values.
Republic Day offers an opportunity for all to reflect and introspect. It also is an opportunity to recognise our innate strengths and take the next big leap forward. We are a young nation with over two thirds of our population being less than 35 years. We need to enrich this human capital with functional literacy, skill sets, knowledge and attitudes that will enable the country to move on to a higher growth trajectory.
We need to expand our social capital and strengthen what Ambedkar called “social democracy”. We may have to rediscover our roots and draw inspiration from the inclusive, pluralistic world view encapsulated in the “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” (The whole world is one family) approach we have all inherited. We need to bridge the many ‘divides’ we have today and ensure that each individual is given equitable opportunities to grow and contribute to the development story of our country.
Only the other day, we had celebrated the birth anniversary of one of our national icons, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. The great Bose differed sharply with Mahatma Gandhi on the means to be adopted in freeing the country from colonial British rule. Similarly, Patel too had differences with Jawaharlal Nehru. But what characterised these great men and women who fought for our country’s freedom was their passion and dedication, their concern for the rights of our people to live free and full lives. It is the same concern that has been the driving force of successive governments after independence.
There are undoubtedly, numerous challenges: ending poverty, illiteracy, urban-rural divide, gender and caste discrimination and other social evils. However formidable these challenges may seem, it is not a mission impossible to overcome them provided we work, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi keeps reminding us, as Team India.
The time has come for us to convert Swarajya (freedom) into Su-Rajya (good governance). The economy has been put on a sound foundation and there has been remarkable progress in creation of ecosystem for spurring sustained economic growth. We must simultaneously focus our collective attention on our polity, social fabric and delivery of public services especially, education and healthcare services. We must focus on the overall improvement in the quality of life.
Quality education, including universal literacy, is a crucial first step towards sustainable development. Quality healthcare must be universally accessible and affordable. The current mission to eliminate open defecation and make cleanliness a norm needs to be a part of our lives. Hunger and malnutrition are pressing problems. So are infant and maternal health.
We must confront and root out many of the deep rooted societal maladies that are eroding our social fabric like corruption, casteism, bigotry, religious fundamentalism and extremism. We must guard against terrorism from across the borders. We must strengthen the polity through electoral and administrative reforms.
We must have a leadership that has distinguished itself through character, calibre, capacity and conduct. We must build a political consensus to focus more sharply on inclusive development irrespective of political affiliations. National interest must be the touchstone of our actions. All our identities, linguistic, religious and regional, should be subservient to the national identity.
We must care for our environment and find solutions to problems of air and water pollution. Our ancient sages have said: “Dhanam agni, dhanam vayur dhanam suryo, dhanam vasuh” (Fire, air, sun, earth and natural resources are real wealth). In the Indian epic, the Ramayana, there is an episode in which the smallest of creatures, the squirrels, get actively involved in building a bridge across the ocean. Obviously, no task is impossible if we can make a collective effort. Involvement, Inclusion, Implementation and Innovation could be the watchwords as we step into this next year of our vibrant, resurgent republic.
(M Venkaiah Naidu, Vice President of India)
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