Concluding Remarks by the President after meeting with Indologists in Moscow (May 10, 2015)

Hon. President (Shri Pranab Mukherjee): Thank you very much, Mr. Ambassador. I deeply appreciate all the observations made by the very distinguished participants who have responded to our invitation to meet this morning. As it always happens, the time constraint stood in the way of getting full discussions; and so many points, so many issues, so many distinguished speakers are left out. Nonetheless, time is a factor which we cannot ignore. Keeping that in mind I would like to be very brief in my concluding observations.

First I would like to inform you - Director General, ICCR has asked me to inform you – of the extension of the Chair of Mahatma Gandhi by another period of two years to Sanskrit and Indology also continue for the same period. From this year ICCR is going to announce a special annual award for the Distinguished Indologist, and this will start from the year 2015.

I would once again express my deep appreciation and understanding for your responding and coming to our invitation. As I mentioned in my initial observations also, we shall have to keep in mind how we can give contemporary relevance to the subject so that it attracts students and it will also be a paying proposition to the teachers. Only intellectual stimulation is not the motivating factor. It should be accompanied by professional recognition and also professional reward. These two objectives have to be converged so that we can encourage further study and advancement in the studies of Indology.

Our Embassy and ICCR would try to address the problems and the issues which you have raised. I also express my deep appreciation for the understanding of India, its system, its ethos, its values, and particularly one of it with which I was involved till the other day. I entered into Indian Parliament in late 60s; and I rather automatically as per our Constitutional system had to resign the day I was elected President of the Republic. In other words, I spent 43 years of my life in Indian Parliament. So, perhaps nothing is more dearer to me than Parliamentary practice and systems.

I do feel because I went through the proceedings of the Constituent Assembly how tremendous pressure and tension moments were built up in adopting some of the provisions. It is not that everything was taken unanimously, …(Inaudible)… recorded voting. Important decisions like judicial autonomy. We had autonomy before in our system. As you were saying, we have a totally, rather I would say ferociously, independent Election Commission. But Election Commissioner does not come from heaven or even elected by anybody else. He is simply appointed from civil servants.

Except for the last five years of his tenure or till he attains the age of 65 years as Election Commissioner, he is nothing but a civil servant who carried the order of his political boss or administrative boss. But once he assumes that office, even the Prime Minister of the country has to stand before him. When the Prime Minister files his own nomination paper, he has to stand before a much junior officer of the service while he will be sitting, and take oath of allegiance to the Constitution of India. This is the system.

In our system, not only the Chief Election Commissioner there are various authorities like Comptroller and Auditor General, Information Commissioner. All these statutory or Constitutional bodies are manned by civil servants mainly from the permanent executive cadre. But the office entrusts them to be totally independent, and that is why the Parliamentary system has succeeded - in many other countries, I need not give you examples because all of you are aware - and we cherish it, we celebrate it. The way every year voting turnout is increasing, it is really a successful experiment in a developing country with so much divergence, and there are many sceptical views.

Therefore, I do appreciate your understanding of the Indian system of governance. I am deeply grateful to you for sparing your time and giving your valuable suggestions. I will suggest to our Embassy, Foreign Secretary is also present here, DG ICCR, Secretary, Ministry of Higher Education and Culture is also present here. Surely they have listened to your views and we shall try to redress them as fast as possible.

But let us carry on this spirit and always try to reinvent India-Russia relationship so that our generations find interest, rather develop vested interest in carrying it further.

Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.

(Concluded)