The coronavirus has not yet gone away and hence we shall not let our guard down, says Kovind
New Delhi: As the nations prepares to celebrate the 75th Independence Day tomorrow, President Ram Nath Kovind in his televised address to the nation on the I-Day eve said that the world today looks up at the miracle of India, home to the plurality of traditions and yet the biggest and most vibrant democracy.
“Now as we look back to the seventy five year journey of our republic, we have reasons to be proud of the considerable distance we have travelled,” the President said. “Gandhiji taught us that slow and steady steps in the right direction are preferable to rapid strides in the wrong direction,” he added.
Congratulating the citizens on this momentous occasion, the President said this year this day has a special significance as it marks the beginning of the 75th year of India’s independence for which ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ is being celebrated.
“Independence Day is a festival of freedom for us. This was made possible by generations of freedom fighters; some known, many unknown. They made great sacrifices. Today, you and I breathe under free skies thanks to their heroic deeds. I bow in respect to the pious memory of those brave martyrs,” he said.
He recalled how India, like many others, suffered great injustices and tyranny under foreign rule. “What distinguishes India, however, is that the character of our nationalist movement, led by Mahatma Gandhi, was based on the principles of truth and non-violence. He and all other national heroes provided us with an invaluable blueprint to not only liberate the nation from colonial rule, but also to rebuild it. Gandhiji’s struggle was for a return to Indian ethos and for human dignity,” he said.
In his speech, the President among other things, especially referred to the recently concluded Tokyo Olympics, in which, he said, Indian sportspersons brought laurels to the nation with their stellar performances. Pointing out that India won the highest number of medals in the 121 years of its participation in the Olympics, he said, mentioned that daughters of the country had achieved world class excellence in playgrounds overcoming many adversities. “Along with sports, epoch-making changes are taking place in the participation and success of women in all walks of life. From higher educational institutions to armed forces, from laboratories to playgrounds, our daughters are making their mark. In this success of our daughters, I see a glimpse of a developed India of the future. I urge every parent to learn from the families of such promising daughters and provide opportunities to their daughters also to explore avenues of growth,” he said.
Given the intensity of the COVID-19 pandemic, President Kovind, spoke in detail about the ramifications of the pandemic. He said that although the pandemic had come down last year due to “exceptional efforts” from all including Indian scientists who had succeeded in developing vaccines in a very short time, due to the new variants of the Coronavirus, the country suffered from a “terrible” second wave. “I am deeply sad that many lives could not be saved and many more suffered immensely in this phase of an unprecedented crisis. I speak for the whole nation when I say that I share the grief of all the affected families with the same intensity,” he said
While Kovind said the intensity of the pandemic had now come down, he cautioned that the Coronavirus had not yet gone away.”We are yet to come out of the devastating effects of its recurrence this year,” he added.
He said while the science is coping with this invisible enemy of terrible might with remarkable speed, “we can take solace from the fact that more lives have been saved than the lives lost. It was our collective determination to overcome the challenge that helped us see the weakening of the second wave. Once again, our corona warriors, the doctors, nurses and health workers, the administrators, and others, risked everything to contain the impact of the second wave”.
The President warned against letting the guard down, and urged all eligible citizens who were yet to get vaccinated to do so at the earliest and also inspire others.
– global bihari bureau
