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17 Aug 2011

Principal's Spech on Independence day 2011


Dear Fellow Indians,
Today we celebrate the 65th Independence Day of our great Nation.  On this joyous occasion I convey my greetings and good wishes to all the Indians living in this beautiful country and pray for their peace, progress and prosperity.
On this auspicious day, 64 years ago, India attained freedom from colonial rule and the people of our country became the masters of their destiny.
 All in all, the past 64 years have been momentous.  Despite serious challenges on varied fronts, including several attacks on the territorial integrity of India, we have been able to keep the flame of democracy burning bright.  And, today, India is looked upon as the largest and most vibrant democracy in the world.  In recent years India has been well known the world over for its achievements in several fields, particularly in the arena of Information Technology. 
 The struggle for Indian independence began with the first war of Indian independence in 1857. Although not fully a success, this revolt sowed the seed for a new force, which was to take this struggle to its rightful end. As British oppression strengthened so did the urge to attain the freedom from it. This urge found voice in the form of many great leaders such as Subhash Chandra Bose, Lala Lajpat Rai, Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Sukhdev, Khudiram Bose, Ram Prasad Bismil,Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel to name a few. These great patriots along with a lot unnamed freedom fighters sacrificed their lives for the cause of the nation. This dream of millions of Indians was realized when finally India got freedom on August 15, 1947. The joy of independence brought along with it the grief of partition! The country was divided into two parts – India and Pakistan.
The greatest achievement of this country is that in spite of its vast diversity and a population of 1/6 of entire humanity, the country has continued to remain intact and strong even after over six decades of independence.
Today the nation is all set to make a big come back, in spite of all its odds. It is a fact that the India today in terms of geography has shrunk compared to the India which existed even in the recent past. Thanks to the short sighted visions and personal interests of the political class of the independence period, the partition of India took place, which I view even today as the greatest political blunder of last century with a worldwide impact even today. The creation of Pakistan which subsequently led to the creation of Bangladesh puts a big question mark on the partition that was based on religious lines, proving that regional pride overrides religious unity. The partition resulted in creating the state of Pakistan which today has become the world terror capital and this menace of terrorism is being combated by the entire world as the greatest threat faced by the civilized society today.

A great challenge to be faced by India in the near future is shortage of food. India being predominantly agriculture based economy, and with a vast population of over a billion people has to be self sufficient in terms of food production to feed its people. Thanks to its great farming community, ever since Independence India has been largely self sufficient in terms of food crops and has always grown crops much beyond its needs.
One-third of India's population (roughly equivalent to the entire population of the United States) lives below the poverty line and India is home to one-third of the world's poor people. Though the middle class has gained from recent positive economic developments, India suffers from substantial poverty.
Corruption is widespread in India. India is ranked 72 out of a 179 countries. In India, corruption takes the form of bribes, evasion of tax, embezzlement, etc. A 2005 study done by Transparency International (TI) India found that more than 50% had firsthand experience of paying bribe or peddling influence to get a job done in a public office. The chief economic consequences of corruption are the loss to the exchequer, an unhealthy climate for investment and an increase in the cost of government-subsidized services.
Today, terrorism constitutes a grave threat to the civilized world. The continuing terrorist attacks are reminders of the need to take collective action by the entire world.
The population of our country has reached over one billion people, while only one-third of them are able to read. Due to various social and economic problems India's education program continues to be undercut. Of the biggest victims of the educational system are those living in rural areas. Allocation of government funds and the conditions of the destitute rural schools contribute to the low quality of education by rural children. Many children living in rural areas receive a level of education which is very poor. Overall enrollment in primary and middle schools is very low. Fifty percent of children living in these areas leave school before the fifth grade. However, Kerala, a rural state of India remains a puzzle to many educators. Its illiteracy rate does not follow the trend of most rural schools.

On a positive note, India has always had a vision and a message for the world. From the very beginning of our civilization we have believed that the world is one and humanity is a single family. India is committed to establish ties of friendship and co-operation with all countries. India's engagement with the world is intensifying both in the economic and political fields. India is a country that has, and is, contributing to regional and global peace and stability. India will continue to work with the international community to create a better world - a world free of terror, poverty, disease, ignorance and inequality.
In this context I would like to quote Barrack Obama on his visit to India, “In Asia and around the world, India is not simply emerging; India has already emerged. My confidence in our shared future is grounded in my respect for India's treasured past - a civilization that has been shaping the world for thousands of years. Indians unlocked the intricacies of the human body and the vastness of our universe. And it is no exaggeration to say that our information age is rooted in Indian innovations-including the number zero.”

Jai Hind



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