SPEECH REPUBLIC DAY

In his speech while addressing the nation after becoming the first president of India, Dr.
Rajendra Prasad said “We find the whole of this vast land brought together under the
jurisdiction of one constitution and one union which takes over responsibility for the
welfare of more than 320 million men and women inhabit it”. Good morning to one and
all present here, Honorable Chief guest of the day, invited dignitaries, respected
Principal sir, worthy teachers and my dear friends……(ye likh lena apne se)

Two and half years later to the Independence of India in 1947, on 26th of January 1950,
replacing the Government Of India Act 1935 as the governing document of India, the
constitution of India came into force. A salute of 21 guns and the unfurling of the Indian
National Flag by the first President Dr. Rajendra Prasad heralded the historic birth of the
Indian Republic and since then the day is marked as the Indian republic day. The day is
regarded as a monumental day in the Indian history, as the day when India was
declared a sovereign, secular, socialist, and democratic republic by the Constitution.
Our constitution assures the citizens of India about justice, liberty, and equality among
them. If we look back at the very day when we became a republic country, an
independent India was bequeathed a shattered economy, widespread
illiteracy and shocking poverty. When India, with her vast size and huge diverse
population finally had her tryst with destiny in 1947, most outsiders and many insiders
were not willing to give her many years and had already written her off as a nascent
Nation state. In fact many Western leaders and their media were openly predicting the
collapse of India under the weight of her own internal contradictions, and were rubbing
their hands in glee waiting to write the obituary of the country even as late as the early
to mid 1960s. But India put paid to all such soothsayers of doom, and continues to
remain united and independent.

A country, whose Constitution was drafted by a Dalit, whose speaker is a women and a
population with the largest diversity of races, India became the seventh largest economy
of the world based on the nominal GDP and also the fastest growing major economy.
After nearly seven decades of independence, India has now come closer to being a self-
dependent force to reckon with in the field of nuclear and missile technology. We have
the World’s third largest railway network, which is also one of the world’s largest
employer along with the Indian Armed Forces. We have the fastest growing telecom
network with connections reaching the most remote places of the country. Being
amongst one of the world’s largest military forces, Indian army has made us feel proud a
multiple times with their venturesome triumphs, with a special mention of the Indian
army hitting the terror launch pads in surgical strikes along the LOC, after the
insurgents attacked an army base in Indian-administered Kashmir during the aftermath
of the Uri attacks. With so many accomplishments in her path, India has many miscues
too. A Significant chunk of Indian population still lives under 120 rupees per day. With
the Judicial system still struggling due to lack of resources and archaic technology, our
access to Clean drinking water to the length and breadth of the country has also still not
reached it's potential. Women safety is another major issue which is nowadays a big
talking point in India. The increasing crime against women is a great matter of concern.
Stringent laws are required for curbing such crimes, and those laws should be properly
implemented. In agriculture sector, the cases of farmer suicides are increasing which is
required to be noticed, since farmers are the main producers for the mankind.

 Despite some of the flaws, I still believe India has come very far and is in a great
position today. If one looks at the history of scores of nations in the last seven decades,
most of which won independence from their colonial rulers around the same time as
India, one will understand how these countries have undergone fragmentation or
subjugation due to a plethora of evils like strife or civil wars, ethnic cleansing or external
aggression and military coups or militant separatist organisations. So according to me,
the biggest achievement of India in 67 years of being a republic nation is that we are still
remaining independent. The fact that she thrived amidst all her disputes and diversities
is her greatest achievement. With 29 states, 22 official languages and 1652 dialects,
India was not precisely designed to become a successful model for democracy, but she
did.

Yes, India is not perfect, but she has come a long way. She is a living example that Hope
can coexist with despair and order with chaos. I love my country. Jai hind Jai Bharat.