PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS TO THE NATION ON THE EVE OF INDIA'S 66th INDEPENDENCE DAY

My fellow citizens:

It is a great privilege to address, for the first time, my fellow Indians living within our country and in a hundred corners across the globe, on the 65th anniversary of our independence. Words cannot adequately express my gratitude to the people and their representatives for the honour of this high office, even as I am deeply conscious of the fact that the highest honour in our democracy does not lie in any office, but in being a citizen of India, our motherland. We are all equal children before our mother; and India asks each one of us, in whatsoever role we play in the complex drama of nation-building, to do our duty with integrity, commitment and unflinching loyalty to the values enshrined in our Constitution.

It is important to remember, on Independence Day, that in the age of empires freedom was never given; it was taken. It was won by a generation of giants, led by a mighty man of destiny, Mahatma Gandhi, who fought with selfless, unflinching conviction against the mightiest power in history, with a moral force that transformed political thought and whose reverberations echo in great events all around us today. If the rise of European colonisation began in 18th century India, then the rallying cry of "Jai Hind!" also signalled its end in 1947. The final call to victory, "Jai Hind!" was given by Subhas Chandra Bose, fondly known to every Indian as "Netaji". Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, Baba Saheb Ambedkar, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Sarojini Naidu and many others charted the roadmap of independent India. These extraordinary men and women sacrificed their todays for our tomorrows. That tomorrow has come, and there is a question we must ask ourselves: have we honoured the great vision of these stalwarts, as a nation and as a society?

I was a toddler when Netaji, as Rashtrapati of the 51st Session of Indian National Congress in Haripura, on the banks of the river Tapti, reminded us that "our chief national problems are eradication of poverty, illiteracy and disease". His speech echoed through my home, as it did through millions of others. My father was a freedom fighter and through those long years when freedom seemed an illusion, we were sustained by faith in ourselves, in our leaders, in the strength of non-violence, in the courage of Indians liberated from fear. But we knew then, as we do now, that freedom must mean both bread and dreams.

Netaji and Nehruji believed that India could seize the future by an application of synthesis, samyavada, of what might seem on surface to be implacable opposites. They believed that free India would become, by example, an alternative model for a post-colonial world through economic equity and a social revolution inspired by harmony between communities that had been misled into hostility. Propelled by freedom of faith, gender equality and economic justice for all, India will become a modern nation. Minor blemishes cannot cloak the fact that India is becoming such a modern nation: no faith is in danger in our country, and the continuing commitment to gender equality is one of the great narratives of our times. Click here to read full address

Indian Embassy in Moscow celebrates 66th Independence Day

The celebrations to mark the 66th Independence Day of India in Moscow commenced with the unfurling of the national flag by H.E. Mr. Ajai Malhotra, Ambassador of India to the Russian Federation, and the singing of the National Anthem.

The Ambassador thereafter read out the Address to the Nation by the Hon'ble President of India, His Excellency Shri Pranab Mukherjee, and then briefly addressed the gathering while congratulating the members of the Indian community in Russia and thanking the many Russian friends who had conveyed good wishes on India's Independence Day.

This was followed by the singing of patriotic songs by school children from the Embassy of India School, Moscow. Several hundred members of the Indian community in Moscow and friends of India took part in the function at the Embassy, showing their love and respect for their motherland. Refreshments were served to all participants in the celebrations.

Reviewing bilateral ties, Ambassador Malhotra emphasized that the India-Russia engagement, characterized by enormous goodwill, mutual respect and understanding, had advanced in every direction over the past year. The pinnacle of these exchanges was the Annual Summit visit to Russia in December 2011 by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Bilateral ties were also reviewed in March 2012 when President Medvedev attended the BRICS Summit in New Delhi and met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. President Vladimir Putin met with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Mexico in June 2012. Deputy Prime Minister Rogozin visited India and met with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in July 2012. "We now look forward to warmly welcoming President Putin to India later this year for the annual India-Russia Summit, the preparations for which are actively underway", Ambassador Malhotra added.

"Besides intensive governmental interaction, we have also sought to enhance people-to-people contacts over the past year, as they are the bedrock of our unique relationship with Russia", Ambassador Malhotra noted. He expressed satisfaction that initiatives to promote business ties and liberalise the visa regime had received a most encouraging response.  Ambassador Malhotra informed that "India-Russia bilateral trade has shown a solid 53% increase during the first six months of 2012, compared to the same period in 2011." Moreover, "he informed that Russian tourist and business arrivals into India increased 25% in 2011-2012, compared to 2010-2011, and continues to grow at a good pace".

As part of the Independence Day celebrations a special presentation by the "Karnatriix" music group from India, will be held on the evening of August 15 in Moscow.

Similar celebratory functions are also being held at the Indian Consulates General in St. Petersburg and Vladivostok, besides other venues across Russia. For more photographs click here