64TH HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY INDIAN

TODAY, 15TH AUGUST 2010 INDIA
CELEBRATES 64TH INDEPENDENCE DAY

www.thehindu.com - Today, India is celebrating its Independence Day. Yesterday, on the eve of the 64th Independence Day, President of India Pratibha Devisingh Patil said “As citizens of free India, we must reflect on the values and principles which were in the minds and hearts of those who fought and sacrificed for our freedom. They drew inspiration from the values nurtured in the country through millennia. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru once described Gandhiji as, “embodying the old spirit of India, who held aloft the torch of freedom”. Gandhiji’s thoughts and his life were truly an expression of the philosophy of our ancient civilization in which peace and harmony, non-violence and truth, human dignity and compassion were given great prominence. Are we now forgetting these principles? Are we overlooking them? No, we should not. These are eternal values, which have sustained our nation, our society and also each one of us as individuals. Gandhiji’s thinking continues to have deep influence and is of increasing relevance in the world, with 2nd October, his birthday, being observed every year as the International Day of Non-Violence.”

U.S. President Barack Obama sent his congratulations to all who will celebrate the 63rd anniversary of India’s Independence this weekend and said, “Indians around the world can not only look back on their history with pride, but can also look ahead to a future filled with hope and further progress.” Mr. Obama noted that ever since August 15, 1947, India’s non-violent struggle for freedom, its rejection of terrorism and extremism, and its belief in democracy, tolerance, and the rule of law had been an inspiration and beacon of hope for people around the world. Furthermore, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that “Just 63 years after winning independence through nonviolent resistance, India is a world leader, and the ‘Indian Dream’ of freedom, tolerance, and prosperity continues to offer an example for people who yearn for democracy and liberty around the globe.”


As India's President said, it is necessary people who embody the old spirit of India; men and women whose lives are the real expression of the philosophy of India's ancient civilization in which peace and harmony, non-violence and truth, human dignity and compassion were given great prominence. A society which grew and developed around only one center of interest: God.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

To develop love for Bhagavan, the supreme object of love, is the fundamental message of sanātana-dharma. ... In a religious assembly in the West, a Pope once admitted, "India guided by God can lead the world back to sanity." Modern society is overridden by quarrel and dispute, and is completely demented. It can, however, be reformed by spiritual India, religious India. The whole world is looking to the true inner spirit of India and its people; however, we Indians are so foolish and unlucky that we cannot understand this. Although we possess everything valuable, we are unable to utilize these assets properly. We are unable to embrace, as our life and soul, the contribution of our risis, and thus our present plight is extremely miserable. How will we attain auspiciousness and peace so long as this wretched condition is not dispelled?

Śrīla Bhaktivedanta Vamana Mahārāja :
“The Solution to World Conflict”
“The Secret to World Unity and Peace”
A speech delivered given on 1st September 1983
at Sri Meghalaya Gaudiya Matha, Tura, India
Bhaktivedanta Memorial Library - http://www.bvml.org/SBVM/