On the occasion of 68th independence anniversary of India, Prime Minister’s address to the nation from the ramparts of historic Red Fort of Delhi is to be noted for its non-diplomatic and non-formalized tenor. It was the head of an ordinary Indian family speaking to his family members whose needs he understands and whose pain he feels. He brought to the memory of the nation tremendous sacrifices made by ordinary men and women of India, on various fronts, in the fields, in the factories, in the laboratories, on the battle ground, in the offices and under the portals of the fountains of knowledge which collectively made India of our days. In particular, this was the moment for paying humble tribute to those great sons and daughters of India who laid down their precious lives in the service of the nation. They laid down their lives so that we may live, and live not for ourselves only, not for our families only but for the motherland, the millions and millions of Indians who toil day and night to carry the nation forward.
Here is a Prime Minister beckoning the nation to move and move in right direction. Here is a Prime Minister sensitizing each Indian in whatever capacity he works, to work for the nation as the final purpose of his life. He invokes sense of responsibility to duty and to conscience. This nation has tremendous potential and the Prime Minister wants this potential to be exploited in the interests of the nation. In this century of science and technology, life had to be cast in a mould that is capable of deriving maximum benefit for the individual and the nation. He did not focus on what the Government intends to do; he did not draw a long list of ambitious projects something that is customary for Prime Ministers when they form a new Government. No, he did not do that. But he stirred the conscience of the people of his country to what they are expected to do to carry forward this country of great historic antiquity. He did not speak of economy, of fiscal policy, or soaring prices, of terror and fundamentalism, of foreign policy and its nuances, of neighbours or of aliens. The Government will take care of all these things as it deems fit. But it is the individual, the unit that matters. Stressing on the importance of democracy, he rightly praised the founding fathers of Indian Constitution who gave us the mantra of governing this country of multifaceted cultures, ethnicity, faiths and languages. Indirectly referring to himself, he said that it was only the power of democracy that could throw up a boy of a lower middle class from a far off village to make him the Prime Minister of the largest democracy in the world. By this reference, the Prime Minister meant to tell the nation that they enjoyed the most powerful weapon which when handled with care and trust would be the best security and guarantee of prosperity for the nation. We have passed through a dark age of poverty, deprivation and destitution. We have braved these debilities with fortitude and here we have the space where we can do wonders. He prompted the nation to realize its potential and bring out the best out of it. Discipline is the mantra that should regulate the lives of people. Discipline is not to appease or oblige somebody; it is a philosophy of life that makes the journey smooth for one’s self and for others.
The Prime Minister has been in office for just two and half a month. He is not out for fault finding; he is for efficiency, delivery and punctuality. He does not believe in punitive measures or censure or bossism — he calls himself Prime Sewak — the first servant of the nation. As such, he expects the entire administrative structure in the country to be adherents to self generating discipline. It will have deep impact on the entire administrative culture. We have often heard that our bureaucracy is mired in colonial administrative culture. It is true to some extent but the reason is that its orientation in indigenization was not attempted at by earlier chief executives. In that sense we are on the threshold of a new era.
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