Indian Embassy hosts Constitution Day program
‘Anthony, Ahmed, Ayyappan and Amardeep together can make India more stronger’
KUWAIT CITY, Dec 1: The benevolent presence of His Excellency Sunil Jain, the Indian Ambassador to Kuwait, distinguished guests, and the large audience including teachers, students and parents added the sparkling light in the Constitution Day program held in the Indian Embassy auditorium. This event was conducted as part of the year-long nationwide celebrations to mark the 125th birth anniversary Dr Ambedkar, the chairman of the historic drafting committee of Indian Constitution.
A.K. Srivastava, Second Secretary – Community Welfare welcomed the gathering. The Ambassador and officials paid floral tribute to Dr B.R. Ambedkar.
Pani J. Anthony, recipient of Dr Ambedkar National Award, delivered the keynote speech on Indian Constitution and national integration, when this inspiring MUN Speaker gave a clarion call that if Anthony, Ahmed, Ayyappan and Amardeep Singh come together irrespective of seasons and situations, we can make our nation more stronger, it won a thunderous applause from the audience. His sudden quizzing was answered by Naman Singh, student of Indian English Academy School, Salmiya. Excerpt from his speech “Our Constitution. Is it a product that anyone can go to the nearby shop, buy and keep it in the safe? The constitution is a living thing like you and I. It is the Bible for every Indian. Bhagwat Gita of everyone. Quran of each Indian. Sri-Gur Granth Sahib of the valoured people. It is not the property of judges and lawyers alone, but also the property of we, the people of India. It has its body, it has its soul; includes the idea of social justice, idea of dignity of every individual, idea of accountability in public life; and unity and integrity of the nation. My brethren, it is the holy result of 271 men and women, with tireless efforts for 3 years, thus was drafted the Indian Constitution.
“What binds us today? The people from the Western India and the Eastern India; people from the North and the South. It is none other than the constitution. The constitution binds us today as the sole people of India. It is not just a legal document; it’s a political, social, cultural manifesto of the whole India of not only this present generation, but also the generations to come. The essence of every religion, culture is articulated in the very preamble of this constitution. It unites Ayyappan, Ahmed, Anthony, Amardeep Singh together. It is a very powerful mantra that drives us by a sense of what is right and what is wrong.
“The Indian Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore very aptly started,
“Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high Where knowledge is free” and ended with, “Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake”.
Contribution
“The like-minded leaders like Dr B.R. Ambedkar, their fearless determination as strong as the rocks made a fuller contribution for this noble venture, so today we all stand as high as the mountains.
“Our forefathers forgot region, religion, caste, creed, language and all stood united with the sole aim of freeing the nation. “See the crescent – says Islam “See the sun – Hinduism “And, see the stars, Christianity. “Thus, there is a cheers in the sky. If so, why are the tears on the earth??
“When all the religions jointly host the celebrations in their homes, community and nation, the merit of our nation flies higher and higher with the globally accepted value that is religious harmony.
“We remember the famous quote ‘from Kashmir in the north to Kanyakumari in the south’, but only in the papers and may be in our dreams. We fail to practice that we read in the books.
“That is why Swami Vivekananda very aptly gave the clarion call. ‘Give me 100 youth, I shall change the nation’. What kind of youth he wanted. The youth who can think for the people, to speak for the people, and act for the people. To unite the people that is the real richness of the nation. Richness is not only in money, but when you shed tears how many hands come forward to wipe of your tears.
“Our nation lies in the feeling of oneness, wherever we are or whoever we may be.
“Some people came running, crying, I looked at them, they are not of my religion, I walked away.
“Some were fighting each other, I looked at them, they are not of my region, I kept silence.
“Few houses were on fire, mine is not included, I am safe.
“And now, I have a problem, I shouted for help, no one is available, everyone walked away.
“A house divided within, will not stand long. It is true to the core. True with a family, a state and a nation.
“The feeling of oneness seen during the freedom struggle is not seen today. There, the patriots fought together for freedom. Now, we fight against each other in the name of religion, language and for all sort of momentary gratification. No prophet favours terrorism and there is no other land where this meaningless divisions are being practiced. It brings nothing but ruin and disaster; it builds nothing but tombs; multiplies orphans and widows and leaves behind a long trail of misery.
“Let us think of the meaningful sacrifice of our forefathers — Their sacrifice that made several orphans and widows – leaders who dared to shrug of the albatross, who made the Constitution, and who made the land free.
“We, especially the younger generation, should learn from the respected mentors and elders. The feeling of oneness, the feeling of religious harmony, the feeling of Indianness. Sure, by giving a helping hand to the fellow citizens, we will grow professionally, academically, morally and above all patriotically. Only the spirit of love, tolerance, mutual understanding and generosity of heart can make us united, and thus create our nation strong.
“If we can educate the importance of this Constitution to the youth of our country, the students from the prestigious schools on whom the future of India depends, the dignity of human life, we will succeed. If we could succeed as a nation, we could provide as a model to the whole world.
“There are good Samaritans who set as good examples in government, in industry, in academics, in all walks of life who are leading lights in their own chosen field of activity.