Respected Didiji and my dear brothers and sisters especially small children present on the stage.

Today this is for the first time that I have got this opportunity to come here and I am very thankful to you for that. I want to make a special request to you all that in this period of advancement where everything is progressing so rapidly please do not destroy all these buildings, where once Gandhiji lived. While reading about you’re your project I was very happy to note all your plans, and hence we should keep that in our minds that in what situations Gandhiji came here and what all problems he faced and up to what extent he is related to our history. His thoughts are immortal because sometimes it becomes more difficult to understand his thoughts if we do not keep the real situation of that time in our mind. I think it is your basic duty to blend both of them. People want to live here, they want to study here they want to interact with each other. We should not forget that this is the only reason why we here, because Gandhiji once lived here.

I have just said that Gandhiji is related to our past but more than that he is related to our future. He faced all the problems till he lived from 1879 to 1948. It is our duty to continue our discussion on his work and we should try to learn little bit from that Gandhiji who made India an Independent country and now it is our duty to pass his values to the next generation.

For instance when we go to Shahjahanbad and we look at the awesome work of Shahajahan but we do not understand anything because there is lot of difference between that day and today. But if we talk of Gandhiji we can’t compare them because he was the symbol of peace and non violence. We can never forget that, he gave them his first attention first to the very poor, lowest and highly downtrodden in the society. Today we have progressed so much, we have shopping malls, multiplexes but in our streets where poor are becoming poorer, it should be our priority to look after them.

Previously when our population was 30 crores and where 2/3 of them were living below poverty line and 1/3 little above it. But between now and then our population has increased from 30 crores to 100 crores and
1/3rd of 100 crores is about 30 crores (which was the whole population of India at that time). Today after 60 years of independence is it shameful that more than 30 crores people are living below poverty line. As 2/3 of our population is above poverty line not much above it and that 2/3 is 60-70 crores and in comparison to whole of our population almost twice is living above poverty line. We can try to remove poverty with the help of such self sustainable modern institutions.

Government does not just mean state government or central government. Both have to work together and government can help them a bit and the mass of population sits at home and their condition becomes like that of a beggar they would ask for everything and sit idly. Here I don’t think Gandhiji dream is being fulfilled.

We have to progress but with non-violent ways. For progression of our country and development we have to empower the middle class. If they seek for some job opportunities and some clerk put some objection they claim to know some IAS officer and even they come to Didiji to get some help in middle class has empowered themselves but still 1/3 poor does not have that power of empowerment but I am not saying that 2/3 have been empowered but they have been in this process of being empowered. We need to give stress on Gandhiji rules to empower the poor.

When Justice Sarakaria gave his report 4-5 lines were very famous among them which I always like to repeat. He exclaimed that if common man is not at all interested in solving problems in and around him and if he is not at all empowered in solving those problems then there is no need to vote for any MLA or MP if they are not able to solve the basic amenities of water, electricity, road etc. until this common man does not know which door he has to knock so that he could get rid of his problems then only they would be empowered. And Gandhiji understood this very well because 30% of our population is settled in urban areas and it is about to cross 50% soon.

Today with great pride we can say that we have attained “freedom through democracy”.
Today it is the time to remember those who gave their freedom to get this country free.

This freedom is meaningless until and unless we won’t provide these poor people with total empowerment.

Amartya Sen in his book wrote about the draught in 1770 when 1/3 of the total population of Bengal died due to hunger and thirst. It was the condition of Bengal when it was under the rule of Britishers about 30 lakhs people died with hunger when our godowns were flowed by food grains etc. If in this context we observe any change, at least no one has died due to lack of food may be you can give the example of 5-10 people but it is not that much big. But if we look around and take the example of China where lakhs of lakhs died due to hunger but not in India.

It is necessary for equal distribution of power to have proper ownership and for that empowerment is needed. Gandhiji understood this very well. Gandhiji also taught us that without elders and brotherhood nothing can be done. He also discovered the true personality of India. He also taught that a true Indian is one who thinks that he is an Indian and this is far away from the discrepancy of colour, creed, and language and there is not even a question of food, rich, poor.

If we take the map of India and if we go from North-South and put that map of Europe we would find that if Srinagar lies somewhere in Moscow and Trivandrapuram lies on Atlantic and if we look and put Gujarat’s Kutch somewhere over Northcape that the capital of Aizwal might lie somewhere on east. Through this I just want to explain that surface area is almost the same but why do we have that inferiority complex. Our India is somewhere somehow empty why? because India’s left hand separated from it and became Bangladesh and right hand separated to become Pakistan and with the same surface area in Europe there are 43 sub division isn’t a thing of pride that we have still maintained our unity in such diversity and have sustained our freedom.

There are different personalities, religion and I could not become an Indian until I don’t think that it is my first right as a Tamilian. I am first an Indian only then I am a Tamilian. Today with great pride we can say that we are Indian. Ours is a secular country and some people say that it is useless again and again taking about secularism, but if I say a country could not be as successful as India if they favour religion.

World’s biggest Hindu country is India and it is also world second largest Muslim country. India is also very old Christian country because St. Thomas reached here first and he was the one who established the Syrian Christian church.

Gautam Buddha was born here, Mahavir Jain and Guru Nanak were also born here in India all this belongs to us not to anyone else. We have to give equality to all we are not concerned with only one religion. Today if we are standing here it is because of Gandhiji or priority to secularism.

Today the most important question in front of our country is not whether development or not but how can we save it. We could only save it with the help of Gandhiji basic principles which we have to keep in mind once and always.

Today being a minister I should be happy with our nuclear bomb but on humanitarians grounds it is wrong. I am not at all proud of it,this is where we have to look up for help from Gandhiji and if we say that Gandhiji was our past and he is not at all concerned with today’s problems it is totally wrong. If we want to maintain India’s sovereignty then we have to remember Gandhiji. If we ever dare to forget Gandhiji then our India will break apart. This is why it is very important to regenerate this noble Ashram where Gandhiji once used to live.

This place or Ashram is the birthplace of Gandhiji. Here it becomes more important to keep it alive in people’s mind. More and more people should get attracted towards it. We should invite young generation and all the donors and make some new policies to make this place Gandhiji immortal.

I want to thank Didiji and all of you present here today. My heartiest thanks and please give me second chance to come here again .

Thank You.