My republic day speech at IPE on the eve of 56th Republic day in 2005

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Namaskar everybody!

           

            Today we all get together to celebrate India’s 56^th Republic day. First I would like to I salute the founding fathers of this great nation and I pay my homage to the memory of those who laid down their lives in the defense of the Republic and all those who have made this nation proud.

 

We all must be very proud of being the citizens of this great republic. The word ‘Republic’ is no ordinary word. It is a commitment to the effect that, in our State, supreme power is exercised not by some remote monarch but by the people.

 

Let us celebrate the exceptional status we enjoy, the status of being the world’s largest democracy. Given the chequered career of democracies elsewhere, we can be grateful to be citizens of this Republic.

 

We have one of the world’s largest reservoirs of technical personnel, but also the world’s largest number of illiterates; the world’s largest middle class, but also the largest number of people below the poverty line, and the largest number of children suffering from malnutrition. Our giant factories rise from out of squalor; our satellites shoot up from the midst of the hovels of the poor. India is a rich country inhabited by poor

 

The world watches us with a combination of admiration and concern: admiration at what we have achieved despite great odds, and concern over the fact that, even with great investments of money and energy we remain far from our goal. Indians do well, they say; India does not. We must examine the import of that observation and try to rectify the situation.

Yesterday In his address to the Nation on the eve of the 56th Republic Day, Dr Kalam called for launching missions in specific areas like agriculture and food processing, education and healthcare, information and communication technology, infrastructure development and self-reliance in critical technologies for transforming India as a developed nation by the year 2020.  
           

The President said a new situation was emerging in the national scene in the year 2005.

            India was now witnessing, all at one time, an ascending economic trajectory, continuously rising foreign exchange reserves, global recognition of technological competence, emergence of 540 million youth, both men and women, as a dynamic positive force for national development and umbilical connectivities of 20 million people of Indian origin in various parts of the planet.

            Pointing out that many developed countries had shown interest in investing in Indian engineers and scientists, including the setting up of new Research and Development centres, Dr Kalam said this was the time when the nation should launch series of missions in the five specific areas.

Giving a special thrust on education and employment, Dr Kalam asked the people to rededicate themselves on the occasion of the Republic Day to build India as a nation which provided employment to all, leading to economic prosperity.

Here we have important role to play, the role which we all aim at i.e., to become entrepreneurs.

By becoming entrepreneurs we can provide employment for many. What our country needs are leaders not just managers

 

We must aim to be leaders rather than just managers for management efficiency is in climbing the ladder of success; Leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall

 

Request:

Close your eyes for 1 minute and make a prayer to GOD to provide strength to our nation so that it can rise to glory and also to provide us with the needed strength to serve our nation in the rightful manner.

 

I once again extend my greetings to everybody. Remember one thing where ever you go

 

sāre jahāñ se achchā hindostāñ hamārā

ham bulbuleñ haiñ us kī vuh gulsitāñ hamārā

  Jai Hind.