Rise above caste, bridge ‘haves and have-nots’ divide, says President Murmu

Calling for unity, she said all children of Mother India are one, there should be no difference among citizens based on caste, class, language or region.

“No one should live with a mindset of being exploited or deprived. We, the people of this nation, are all one—brothers and sisters united; there is no division among us. The individuals who originally instituted the caste system are no longer present today. Therefore, we must all work together; the Governor and the Chief Minister have taken up this mantle of responsibility. I believe that this initiative will foster harmony among the people and secure a bright future for Gujarat, enabling the state to reclaim its former glory. Its citizens will become self-reliant; indeed, Gujarat is already a developed state, and whatever little remains to be achieved, will soon be fully realised,” she added.

Those present at the occasion included Governor Acharya Devvrat, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Deputy CM Harsh Sanghavi, Assembly Speaker Shankar Chaudhary, and other cabinet ministers.

On education, Murmu said, “The aim of the Constitution is to provide all citizens with ‘pratishtha’ (prestige) and ‘avsar’ (opportunity), and it is mentioned quite explicitly in the Preamble. Provisions to build a ‘samras samaj’ (harmonious society) have been given a constitutional foundation… Babasaheb used to say “shikshit bano, kyunki shiksha hi vikas ki punji hai” (education is the key to development or progress). Education holds the key to the development of the country and society. Education has been enshrined as a fundamental right in our constitution… Efforts towards ‘rashtriya nirman’ (nation building) will get a boost with deprived communities getting educated.”

On the harmony in villages and the need to develop rural areas for the country’s progress, Murmu said: “The path toward building a harmonious India runs through harmonious villages. We all know that the soul of the nation resides in its villages. A greater degree of harmony prevails in the villages; although people of diverse castes reside there, the goodwill and love they harbor for one another—reflecting the true essence of Indian culture—are most vividly visible in the villages. Therefore, by fostering the development of villages, the development of the entire nation can be achieved with ease.

The President also reminisced about her childhood, her father’s teachings about helping uplift the deprived, and speaking on how people should come out of the “victimisation mindset”. She called on individuals to contribute towards the upliftment of others, sharing a personal message about using one’s abilities for the benefit of society.

“Becoming successful is good, but it becomes meaningful only when you look back and see how many people you can help. You may not be able to change the entire nation, but you must ask yourself what you can do for others,” she said.