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The President’s range and depth of ideas is immense: Vice President

New Delhi: The Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu has said that the President, Shri Ram Nath Kovind ji’s range and depth of ideas is immense and as Head of the State, the First Citizen of our robust Republic, he represents the essence of the Nation – its vision, aspirations, expectations — and above all, essentially its ethos. He was addressing the gathering after releasing two Volumes – ‘The Republican Ethic’ & ‘Loktantra Ke Swar’, here today, with Selected Speeches of Hon’ble President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind ji.

The Vice President said that the cornerstone of Indian ethos may be summed up in these wise words – Ekam Sat Vipra: Bahudha Vadanti (एकम् सद् विप्रा: बहुधा वदंति) – Truth is one, wise men express it in many ways and this inclusiveness is the essence of India. Since the last fifteen months that Shri Kovind has been the President of India, he said he has been following his erudite addresses in which found an earnest call for inclusiveness.

The Vice President said that the building blocks of the Republican Ethic are equality, egalitarianism and education – themes dear to the President. These are the principles that motivated his unique journey from the mud house of a small village to Rashtrapati Bhawan, he added.

The Vice President said that the President’s vision and thoughts have covered a wide range of issues of national and international importance with a special focus on the challenges which India faces in the contemporary world. But, most importantly he speaks the heart of a common man, he added.

Shri Naidu congratulated the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and the Publications Division, for bringing out these titles with a beautiful layout and design, that speaks to the young and old alike.

Saying ‘The Republican Ethic’ is an invaluable collection of the President’s reflections on a host of contemporary challenges and issues confronting India and the world, the Vice President said that we have to realize the strength within each one of us and get our act together. We must usher in a new era of social, economic and cultural transformation where we move away from ‘dreary desert sands of dead habit’ as Gurudev Rabindranath had put it, he added.

The Vice President said that political parties must evolve a consensus on the Code of Conduct for their Members both inside the Legislature and out of it. Otherwise people might soon lose faith in our political processes and institutions, he said. We need to have more persons in leadership positions who are mindful of not only of “Constitutional morality” but also of “Institutional dignity” and “Individual integrity”, he added.

‘The Republican Ethic’ has a collection of 95 select speeches in English out of the total 243 speeches made by the President of India in the first year in the Office. The speeches are categorized into eight subgroups – Addressing the Nation, diversity of India, window to the world, educating India, equipping India, dharma of public service, honoring our sentinels, spirit of the Law & acknowledging excellence.

The second book ‘Loktantra Ke Swar’ – is a collection of 109 speeches in Hindi which talks about different layers and levels of multifaceted largest democracy in the world – India.

The Vice president said that Hindi was President’s mother tongue, and it was but natural that his fluent expressions flourished elucidating serious national and constitutional subjects.

The Publication Division under Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has published the both Volumes.

The Union Minister for External Affairs, Smt. Sushma Swaraj, the Minister of State for Youth Affairs & Sports and Information & Broadcasting (I/C), Col. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, the Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Shri Amit Khare, the Director General, Publications Division, Dr. Sadhana Rout and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.

Following is the text of Vice President’s address:

“I am privileged to release the two Volumes of Selected Speeches of Shri Ram Nath Kovindji, our Hon’ble President, with whom I have a long and enriching association. As Head of the State, the First Citizen of our robust Republic, he represents the essence of the Nation – its vision, aspirations, expectations — and above all, essentially its ethos.

From his customary address to the joint sitting of the Parliament to India’s outreach to other nations; from Science as a force multiplier to tax transparency; from skills for a New India to India’s cinema– the wide range of speeches delivered on different occasions provide an insight into the thoughts and inclusive vision of the President, whose heart always beats for the less privileged and weaker communities that live at the edge of poverty.

The cornerstone of Indian ethos may be summed up in these wise words –एकम्सद् विप्रा: बहुधा वदंति –Truth is one, wise men express it in many ways.

This inclusiveness is the essence of India.

Since the last fifteen months that Shri Kovind has been the President of India, I have been following his erudite addresses in which I find an earnest call for inclusiveness.

His concern for the downtrodden people is amply reflected in his address to the nation on the eve of India’s 69thRepublic Day in which the President said and I quote : “It is our sacred obligation to eliminate the curse of poverty in the shortest possible time. This is non-negotiable for the Republic”.

The section on ‘Diversity of India’ showcases the President’s appreciation for India’s linguistic and cultural heritage. The vast sweep of the speeches in this section magnificently captures the country’s rich cultural mosaic which cements the bondage between people of different faiths and provides the foundation for our unity and integrity.

This all-embracing inclusiveness resonates when he says that the India of 21st Century will be in conformity with our ancient values as well as compliant with the fourth Industrial Revolution. Quite often, he asks for empathy, fraternity, mutual dignity and above all, for generosity of spirit. These qualities are essential for his vision for ‘The Republican Ethic’; and for our resonating democracy – ‘लोकतंत्र के स्वर’— the titles of the volumes of his English and Hindi speeches, respectively.

The building blocks of the Republican Ethic are equality, egalitarianism and education – themes dear to the President. These are the principles that motivated his unique journey from the mud house of a small village to Rashtrapati Bhawan. Throughout this journey, he never lost touch with his roots. The addresses included in these volumes reflect this identification and serve as an accurate barometer of ideals and aspirations of today’s India.

Emphasizing that single most crucial factor for building our nation is to equip our coming generation, he urges fellow nation builders to help educate less-privileged children in our society. “Help teach a child other than your own. Enroll and pay the school fees or buy books of at least one child other than your own. Just one”, implored the President.

While asking the medical professionals to make available their services to both—those who can afford their fees and the less fortunate, Shri Kovind pointed out that disease does not distinguish between rich and poor and stated profoundly: “It is for society to profit from medical science—it is not for medical science to profiteer from society”.

The President’s range and depth of ideas is immense. His vision and thoughts have covered a wide range of issues of national and international importance with a special focus on the challenges which India faces in the contemporary world. But, most importantly he speaks the heart of a common man.

I congratulate Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and Publications Division, for bringing out these titles with a beautiful layout and design, that speaks to the young and old alike.

Lastly, I am touched by our Hon’ble President’s large-hearted and visionary world view when, in his Republic Day Speech on 26th January 2018, he said that the highest stage of nation-building project is to contribute to “building a better world” – a composite and cohesive world, a world at peace with itself. This is in keeping with the quintessential Indian perspective where we see the entire world as a family to which we also belong and contribute to.

All in all, ‘The Republican Ethic’ is an invaluable collection of the President’s reflections on a host of contemporary challenges and issues confronting India and the world.

I would like to conclude with a thought that he had shared in his address to the nation on the eve of India’s 71st Independence Day, and I quote:

“Two thousand five hundred years ago Gautam Buddha said, “अप्प दीपो भव”, which means — “Be the lamp unto yourself”.

That is a message that serves as inspiration to all Indians as we move forward on our developmental journey with courage and confidence.

We have to realize the strength within each one of us and get our act together.

We must usher in a new era of social, economic and cultural transformation where we move away from ‘dreary desert sands of dead habit’ as Gurudev Rabindranath had put it.

That’s the message that comes across from Rashtrapatiji’s speeches. That’s the message which should be the springboard for national action to transform India.

What is the transformation that India needs?

We need to have a clean polity with an unwavering commitment to Constitutional morality.

For example, we need to implement Anti Defection law in letter and spirit and with sincerity. If a Member desires to change party, he must do so by resigning from the Membership of the House. The Anti-Defection law should be implemented in letter and spirit expeditiously, within 3 months. I know that this is absolutely feasible since I could dispose of the petitions that I received within this time frame.

Similarly, since the integrity of election process is essential for a healthy democracy, it would be ideal if the judiciary can expedite the decisions on Election petitions. If needed, Special Courts could be set up for dealing with the Election petitions.

In my view, political parties must evolve a consensus on the Code of Conduct for their Members both inside the Legislature and out of it. Otherwise people might soon lose faith in our political processes and institutions.

Those in leadership positions have , of course, a higher responsibility than others.

As the Bhagavad Gita has said, ‘The behaviour of the leaders influences the behaviour of all others.’

We need to have more persons in leadership positions who are mindful of not only  of “Constitutional morality” but also of “Institutional dignity” and “Individual integrity”.

Constitution of our country gives the broad framework for our collective actions.

We must make it a ‘living’ document and test our actions against this yardstick- Are we really putting the “public” at the heart of our “Republic”?

Are we enabling the 130 crore lamps in each home and heart in our great country to light up?

That is the challenge Gautam Buddha had posed before us and that is the same challenge which our President has reminded us.

राष्ट्रपति जी देश की साझी संवैधानिक चेतना का पूंजीभूत स्वरूप हैं, उनके वक्तव्य इस जन चेतना को प्रतिबिंबित करते है और उसका संरक्षण और संवर्धन भी करते हैं।माननीय राष्ट्रपति जी के हिंदी में दिये गये 109 भाषणों को ‘लोकतंत्र के स्वर’ नामक ग्रंथ में संकलित किया गया है।मेरा सौभाग्य है कि मुझे उनके अंग्रेजी भाषणों के संकलन ‘दि रिपब्लिकन एथिक’ के साथ उनके हिंदी भाषणों के संकलन का लोकर्पण करने का सुअवसर प्राप्त हुआ है।

हिंदी राष्ट्रपति जीकी मातृभाषा है। स्वाभाविक ही है कि गंभीर विषयों पर इन भाषणों में भी भाषा का सौंदर्य निखरा हुआ है। गंभीर विषयों को भी राष्ट्रपति जी की सरल भाषा ने सभी के लिए सुबोध बना दिया है। आपके लिए ‘हिंदी सचमुच अनुवाद की नहीं अपितु संवाद की भाषा’ है। यह स्वाभाविक ही है कि देश के सर्वोच्च संवैधानिक पद पर राष्ट्रपति जी के सरोकारों का दायरा भी विस्तृत है। राष्ट्रपति जी के राष्ट्र के नाम संदेश विशेषकर प्रेरक हैं और सर्वस्पर्शी हैं। 14 अगस्त, 2017 को दिये गये राष्ट्र के नाम संदेश में आपने भगवान बुद्ध के प्रेरक संदेश ‘अप्प दीपो भव’- अपना दीप स्वयं बनों को उद्धत किया हैऔरभारत के सवा सौ करोड़ नागरिकों की तुलना, सवा सौ करोड़ दीपकों से की है – वे दीपक जो राष्ट्रजीवन में ज्ञान औरआशा का प्रकाश बिखेरते हैं।

25 जनवरी, 2018 को राष्ट्र के नाम संदेश में आपने कहा कि ‘अनुशासित और नैतिकतापूर्ण संस्थाओं से एक अनुशासित और नैतिक राष्ट्र का निर्माण होता है।’ आप संवैधानिक अनुशासन और नैतिकता को राष्ट्र निर्माण की आवश्यक शर्त मानते हैं।

‘राष्ट्रनिर्माताओं का स्मरण’ खंड में मातोश्री रमाबाई अम्बेडकर पर राष्ट्रपति जी का भाषण विशेष उल्लेखनीय है। आपने मातोश्री रमाबाई को डॉ. अम्बेडकर की आदर्श सहधर्मिणी माना है। सार्वजनिक विमर्श में प्राय: स्त्रियों के योगदान को गौण कर दिया जाता है। राष्ट्रपति जी ने विमर्श की इस विषमता को दूर किया है।

राष्ट्रपति जी ने दीक्षांत अभिभाषणों के माध्यम से युवाओं के साथ भविष्य के प्रति उनकी आकांक्षाओं, समाज की अपेक्षाओं तथा युवाओं के उत्तरदायित्व को लेकर निरंतर संवाद रखा है। उन्हें स्वरोजगार के लिए प्रेरित किया है। दिव्यांगों, शोषितों और वंचितों के उत्थान हेतु युवाओं को प्रेरित किया है। आपने युवा कृषि वैज्ञानिकों का किसानों के जीवन और जीविका सुधारने के लिए आह्वाहन किया है। ‘स्वच्छ भारत’ के प्रति राष्ट्रपति जी का आग्रह इस जनआंदोलन को प्रेरणा देगा।

राष्ट्रपति जी का भारतीय संस्कृति तथा आध्यात्मिक परंपरा से गहरा जुड़ाव रहा है। इस संकलन में इस विषय पर राष्ट्रपति जी के विचारों को पढ़ने का लाभ पाठकों को मिलेगा।

राष्ट्रपति जी देश की रक्षा सेनाओं के सर्वोच्च सेनापति हैं। सेनाओं का मनोबल बढ़ाने के लिए आपने सियाचिन बेस कैंप तक यात्रा कर, तैनात अधिकारियों और सैनिकों को संबोधित किया, उनकामनोबलबढ़ाया।

इन दोनों ग्रंथों को सुरुचिपूर्ण रुप से प्रकाशित करने के लिए मैं, प्रकाशन विभाग का अभिनंदन करता हूं। मुझे विश्वास है कि पाठक इन दोनों संकलनोंके माध्यम से राष्ट्रपति जी के विचार, व्यक्तित्व और कृतित्व से परिचित होंगे और उनसे प्रेरणा ले कर उस दिशा में प्रयास करेंगे।

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