The outgoing President was delivering his farewell message to the Nation
Team News Riveting
New Delhi, July 24
Outgoing President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday said he firmly believed that India was getting equipped to make 21st century the century of India.
In his address to the nation before demitting office, Kovind saluted the ‘power of vibrant democratic system’ of India and said staying connected to one’s roots is the specialty of Indian culture.
“Ram Nath Kovind, who grew up in a very ordinary family in Paraunkh village of Kanpur Dehat district, is addressing all of you countrymen today, for this, I salute the power of the vibrant democratic system of our country,” said President Kovind.
At the same time, he drew on Bhimrao Ambedkar’s concluding remarks in the Constituent Assembly before the Constitution was adopted to sound a note of caution about the kind of democracy which the nation should pursue. India must not be content with mere political democracy as it cannot without social democracy.
Describing social democracy as a way of life which recognises the trinity of liberty, equality and fraternity as the principles of life, Kovind said neither should be treated as a separate item. “To divorce one from the other is to defeat the very purpose of democracy. The trinity of ideals must not be mistaken for abstractions. They are real; they can be realised,” he observed.
The President also invoked Mahatma Gandhi and urged everyone to contemplate his life and teachings for a few minutes every day.
Turning wistful, Kovind felt that a young boy like him, who lived in a mud house, became President of India testified the strength of India’s democracy that it creates pathways for everyone. “If that Ram Nath Kovind from village Paraunkh is addressing you today, it is solely thanks to the inherent power of our vibrant democratic institutions,” he said.
The connection with roots is the essence of India, he said while asking the younger generation to stay connected with their village or town, schools and teachers.
