Outgoing President Ram Nath Kovind, in his farewell address to the nation on Sunday, said ‘Mother Nature’ is in deep agony and the climate crisis may endanger the future of this planet. President Kovind also spoke of being influenced by Mahatma Gandhi and being mentored by former President Pranab Mukherjee.
“Mother Nature is in deep agony and the climate crisis may endanger the future of this planet. We must take care of our environment, our land, air and water, for the sake of our children. In our daily lives and routine choices, we must be more careful to protect our trees, rivers, seas and mountains, as well as all other living things. As the first citizen, if I have to give advice to my fellow citizens, it has to be this, ”he said in his speech.
Making history last week, NDA candidate Drupadi Murmu became the first tribal woman to be elected to the highest office in the country. She will be sworn in on Monday.
Kovind said that the nation has been celebrating ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’.
“Next month we will celebrate the 75th anniversary of Independence. We will enter the ‘Amrit Kaal’, the 25 year period leading up to the centenary of Independence. These anniversaries are milestones on the path of the Republic, a path to discover its potential and offer the best to the world. In modern times, the glorious path of our country began with the awakening of nationalist sentiments during colonial rule and the launching of the struggle for freedom,” he said.
“When Gandhiji returned to the motherland in 1915, nationalist fervor was gathering momentum. I have always firmly believed that no other country has been as fortunate as India in having a galaxy of leaders, each of whom was an exceptional mind, in a span of a few decades at the turn of the 20th century. Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, like a modern ‘rishi,’ was working to help us find our cultural roots again, while Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar was vigorously championing the cause of equality that was unheard of in most advanced countries,” he added.
Kovind said that from Tilak and Gokhale to Bhagat Singh and Netaji, from Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel and Shyama Prasad Mukherjee to Sarojini Naidu and Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay, nowhere in human history have so many brilliant minds come together in common cause.
He added that Gandhi was the one whose transformative ideas had the most influence on the outcome and that he changed so many lives in the process.
“The formal map of the democratic path that we have all been traveling was drawn up by the Constituent Assembly. It included great minds from across the country, including 15 notable women such as Hansaben Mehta, Durgabai Deshmukh, Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, and Sucheta Kripalani. The Constitution they prepared, with the invaluable contributions of each of them, has been our guiding beacon. The values enshrined in it have been part of the Indian ethos since time immemorial,” he said.
“This trinity of ideals is lofty, noble, and uplifting. They should not be confused with abstractions. Our history, not only from modern times but also from ancient times, reminds us that they are real; that can be carried out, and in fact have been carried out at different times. Our ancestors and founders of our modern nation exemplified the meaning of justice, liberty, equality, and brotherhood with hard work and an attitude of service. We just have to follow in his footsteps and keep walking,” he added.
Kovind cited Dr. Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar’s closing remarks at the Constituent Assembly, where he noted the distinction between political democracy and social democracy.
“What does social democracy mean? It means a way of life that recognizes freedom, equality and fraternity as principles of life.
“These principles of liberty, equality and fraternity must not be treated as separate elements in a trinity. They form a trinity union in the sense that to divorce one from the other is to defeat the very purpose of democracy,” Kovind quoted Ambedkar as saying.
Kovind also took a trip down memory lane, recalling his early days when the country had just achieved independence, saying, “There was a new wave of energy to rebuild the country; there were new dreams. I also dreamed that one day I could participate in a meaningful way in this nation-building exercise.”
“A boy who lives in a mud house cannot have an idea of the highest position in the Constitution of the Republic. But he is a testament to the strength of India’s democracy that has created avenues to allow every citizen to participate in shaping our collective destiny.
“If that Ram Nath Kovind from the village of Paraunkh is addressing you today, it is solely due to the inherent power of our vibrant democratic institutions,” he said.