SPEECH BY HER EXCELLENCY THE PRESIDENT OF INDIA, SHRIMATI PRATIBHA DEVISINGH PATIL AT THE PRESENTATION OF THE JAMNALAL BAJAJ FOUNDATION AWARDS

Mumbai, 28th October 2010

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am pleased to participate in this function to confer the Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation Awards. Jamnalalji Bajaj was an industrialist and a philanthropist. He was in the forefront of our struggle for freedom and a close associate and follower of Gandhiji. In 1920, Gandhiji adopted him as his 'fifth son', and it was he who persuaded Gandhiji to come and settle in Wardha. Jamnalalji inspired his whole family to take to the Gandhian way of life. His wife, Jankideviji took to 'Goseva' and later to Vinobaji's Bhoodan Movement. Likewise, their two sons Kamalnayanji and Ramakrishnaji were deeply involved in the freedom struggle, and contributed to the industrial development of our country.

Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation was inaugurated in 1977 and has been conferring four Awards annually. I congratulate the award winners for this year. They not only richly deserve recognition, but our wholehearted appreciation for their commendable life long work. Shri Chunibhai Vaidya, a 94 years old renowned Gandhian of Gujarat, has rendered yeoman's service to humanity, following the Gandhian philosophy. Shri Chewang Norphel is an engineer from Leh, whose innovative 'Artificial Glacier Technology' is a unique, simple, cost effective and potential means of high altitude water harvesting and conservation technique. While Smt. Shakuntala Choudhary, an 92 years old Gandhian of Assam, has done exemplary work for women and children development in a self-effacing manner, Prof. Lia Diskin the founder of the Palas Athena Association in Brazil started a programme of observing Gandhi Week since 1982. These persons are rich treasures of civil society. While I was happy to present the awards to them, I also felt unhappy that person such as them are a group of people on the way of dying out. But, we must take lessons from their work and their lives.

Gandhiji's life and philosophy have touched the lives of millions in the world. Mahatma Gandhi was a great soul who is remembered today, not only for his unique leadership of the freedom struggle of India, but also for giving humankind a new philosophy for building an equitable and peaceful world, where nations would prosper if they lived in harmony with each other. Humanity has a shared destiny and all must work collectively for peace in the world, and for sustaining life on planet Earth. He transformed the whole political thinking for achieving independence of India through the non-violent methods of Ahimsa and Satyagraha. He converted the abstract idea into a practical instrument, and convinced the educated as well as the uneducated masses, to put it into practice effectively, with determination and devotion. It had a magical effect because of the tremendous faith of the people in his leadership. Many nations in Africa and Asia, then still under colonial rule, were also deeply influenced by these Gandhian principles. His voice continues to inspire the world even now, with 2nd October being declared as the International Day of Non-Violence by the United Nations.

Gandhiji was a true democrat and at every stage of the freedom struggle, he sought participation of the masses. Moreover, for him 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. The spirit of 'Sarvodaya' which means 'the welfare of all', which was Gandhiji's primary purpose of development, is behind the national concept of inclusive growth.

Seventy percent of our population lives in villages, and India's development will not be comprehensive or complete unless there is development in the rural areas, and there is increased agricultural productivity. Our farmers are ready and willing to work, earn and learn. We have to respond positively. We have to involve the agricultural economy more pro-actively into the growth process, both as a centre of production and as a generator of demand for various products and services. There are many complementarities that exist between farming communities and the corporate world, because both are private enterprises. The possibilities of a win-win partnership between industry and agriculture should be fully explored. We must not forget that the food security of India is dependent on the growth of its agriculture. We should aim at enhancing productivity by using better technology and innovative farming practices, with the active participation of the Panchayats to usher in a second Green Revolution.

Since science and technology hold the key to progress, productivity of capital, labour and resources are dependent on the technology used. Our scientists and researchers should find efficient and cost-effective options for growth. India is a leading country in the IT sector. For us to continue to be leaders in an increasingly knowledge-based world, it should require sustained efforts in building institutions of excellence in science, where research and development is undertaken.

In nation building activities there should be full participation of women. Today, in India, women are excelling in various fields - in politics, administration, science, arts and business, among others. However, it is also true that women are still confronted with many challenges relating to their own development and empowerment. The literacy levels of women is lower than men, they have higher incidence of malnutrition and face societal disadvantages. Socio-economic development of women is deeply inter-twined and if one dimension remains absent, the outcome would suffer. The National Mission for Empowerment of Women was launched this year to achieve the collective national goal of holistic empowerment. I am confident that with education and with the proper implementation of women related schemes and programmes, they will progress. Social attitudes will also need to change, and for this I believe awareness is important. Awareness is of two kinds. One is awareness among women about their own inherent potential strength and the need to exert, so as to confidently fight against the odds confronting them. Second, is awareness among men and women, that there is no conflict of interest between them, but that they have a complementary and supplementary role to play in building their future together, and therefore, to work jointly to help each other to lead a better life.

The Government is pursuing a public-private partnership model in many sectors. NGOs, civil society, entrepreneurs and industrialists should come forward to support government programmes of social welfare, capacity building and infrastructure development. They should work with commitment and with a spirit of national service.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I take this opportunity of calling upon every citizen to come forward in the true Gandhian spirit to contribute to building a stronger India. And as we work together we should remember the words of the Father of the Nation that, "the secret of life is selfless service". My good wishes once again to all present here, to the awardees and to the members of the Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation. I encourage all of you to continue to work for a renaissance of the Gandhian values and build a compassionate society responsive to the difficulties faced by the poorer section of society, where there is harmony and sensitivity to the feelings of others and no corruption. This is the need of the hour and it is necessary for sustaining the ethos of our age old culture.

Thank You.

Jai Hind!