Our Correspondent
President Pranab Mukherjee today called upon the countrymen to raise above narrow personal and regional equations to safeguard the national Integrity of the country. It should be each and every citizens 24X7 endeavour to not only consolidate it but make the younger generation properly aware of our rich heritage and vast diversity, Mr. Mukherjee said. He was delivering the Indira Gandhi Memorial Lecture at the Asiatic Society in Kolkata today.
Mr. Mukherjee said, national integration is essential for the idea of India to grow. With India emerging as an influential player in the international arena, the problems of our nation with a population of 1.28 billion who speak 100 languages and over 1600 dialects daily, can be successfully handled if we think together, work together and grow together. The foundations of national integration must be laid in the minds and hearts of all Indians. Every citizen of this country must know what India is and has been. He must be broadly aware of our long history and the great civilizations that grew on this soil, he added.
We must learn to respect the rights and sensitivities of minorities, both in letter and spirit. We must cultivate a secular and democratic outlook, and promote a way of life that is inclusive and does not interfere with civic duties and rights as well as responsibilities of individuals, the President said.
To meet the challenges of development and carve an honourable place for itself in the comity of nations, Indians must make efforts continuously to increase production, distribute wealth and provide services equitably among all the people. They must constantly endeavour for national advancement and for achieving a shared vision of a great India.
West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi and top office bearers of the Asiatic Society, an institute of National Importance, attended the lecture.