SPEECH BY THE PRESIDENT OF INDIA, SMT. PRATIBHA DEVISINGH PATIL, ON THE OCCASION OF THE INAUGURATION OF AN EXHIBITION AT GANDHI SMRITI

New Delhi, 11th September 2007

Smt. Tara Gandhi Bhattacharjee, Vice Chairperson,

Dr. Savita Singh, Director,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am delighted to inaugurate an exhibition on the freedom struggle of India and to be here at the Gandhi Smriti today, the anniversary of the launch of the Satyagraha movement.

The fight for the freedom of India was a long journey and the Independence of India was won on the basis of Ahimsa and Satyagraha.

Mahatma Gandhi is remembered today, not only for the outstanding contributions he made to the freedom struggle of India, but also for giving humankind a new philosophy for dealing with injustice and strife. He taught us the doctrine of Ahimsa, which advocates the use of non-violence as an instrument for the peaceful resolution of differences. The world, that we live in today, is witnessing conflicts and large-scale violence. In many parts of the globe, societies are facing disruption because of terrorists and their attacks. Innocent people are losing their lives and many are being forced to leave their homes. In such a scenario, the need for peace and Ahimsa is deeply felt. The United Nations accepted the universal relevance of the principles of non-violence, when it adopted the resolution to declare 2nd of October, the birth date of Gandhiji, as the International Day of Non-violence.

For Gandhiji, the means to achieve a goal was as important as the goal itself. While rejecting violence, Gandhiji taught us the path of Satyagraha, which he described as, and I quote, "a relentless search for truth and determination to search truth." Gandhiji felt that the search for truth was invariably in the inner recesses of the minds and souls of individuals and therefore, was of the view that Satyagraha did not depend on the outside for help but derived all its strength from within.

The Satyagraha technique was first put to test on 11th September, 1906 before the three thousand people who had gathered at the Empire Theatre in Johannesburg, South Africa to listen to a young Indian lawyer, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, who had promised to show a path of redemption to the oppressed of the world. And that path was Satyagraha. This was the path that India followed for attaining its freedom from the British, the then mighty colonial power.

The life and work of Gandhiji is a lesson about tolerance and respect for humanity. He believed that intolerance was a form of violence. Today, we have become so intolerant that when there are differing views and perceptions, we immediately start talking in terms of confrontation. Confrontation is neither desirable nor unavoidable. We need to listen to each other, to talk to each other and build bridges of understanding. We need to respect each other's point of view. This will be a fitting tribute to Gandhiji. The need to respect diversity and divergent views was very important to Gandhiji. He was open to new ideas and committed to an interchange of views between different cultures and would say that, and I quote, "I do not want my house with all its windows and doors shut. I want a house with all its windows and doors open where the cultural breezes of all lands and nations blow through my house."

For Gandhiji tolerance was the basis for democracy. He said that if we want to cultivate a true spirit of democracy, which embraces all views, we cannot afford to be intolerant. In a true democracy, it is essential that the concerns of all, particularly of the poor, the downtrodden, the disadvantaged and women are heard and addressed.

Gandhiji said that the mission of his life was to wipe every tear from every eye. He believed that policies should always be designed bearing in mind the poorest of the poor and should promote Sarvodaya, the welfare of all. In the last decade, there has been unprecedented economic growth both globally and in India but there is also growing inequity in the world and within India. We need to address these disparities and so that the benefits of growth reach all sections of society and we have a more inclusive social and economic order. Gandhiji had a vision of building a world free of violence and conflict, where democracy and the welfare of all was the objective and where every individual could live with dignity.

Speaking about Gandhiji and his message, Pandit Nehru said, and I quote, " the light that has illumined this country for these many years will illumine this country for many more years later, that light will still be seen in this country and the world will see it and it will give solace to innumerable hearts." Gandhiji's vision and principles are as relevant today as they were during his lifetime. On the anniversary of the Satyagraha movement, we should pledge to follow the principles of Ahimsa, Satyagraha and Sarvodaya.

Thank you.

JAI HIND !