Former Prime Minister of India - Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee

Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee's speech at the naming of street after Mahatma Gandhi

Following is the text of the Prime Minister, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s speech at the naming of a street after Mahatma Gandhi in Almaty, today:

~I am delighted to be here today in this beautiful and tranquil part of Almaty. Indeed, Almaty seems to have combined charmingly the tranquillity of ancient times with the rapid growth of modernity, retaining an air of serene peace.

The Silk Route that passed through this part of the world in ancient times connected the diverse places and people of our continent with trade. But, it also connected them with the message of peace and wisdom. Thus, Gautam Buddha’s teachings travelled from India to Kazakhstan. Today, we honour another Apostle of Peace and Non-Violence – Mahatma Gandhi.

Both Buddha and Gandhi were born in India. But they belong to the world.

It is most gracious of you, Mr. President, and your Government to preserve the memory of the Mahatma in your land, and in this enduring manner of naming a street after him. Today we also gratefully recall that the Kazakh Government had shown the special gesture of issuing two postage stamps on Mahatma Gandhi on his 125th birth anniversary.

By honouring the Mahatma, you are honouring India because we claim him as the Father of our Nation. But you are also honouring the universal and eternal values that he stood for. He developed his philosophy of Satya and Ahimsa – Truth and Non-Violence – into a powerful instrument against oppression and violence. It preaches conquest by love, not by arms. It prefers the force of persuasion to that of coercion.

Mahatma Gandhi emphasized that non-violence is a mark of bravery, not of cowardice. By unleashing its moral force, he mobilized millions upon millions of ordinary Indians into a unique national liberation movement. A struggle that ultimately vanquished the rule of a mighty colonial empire.

The experience of the 20th century has vindicated the need and relevance of Mahatma’s philosophy. We know how the influenced public figures like Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela.

Mr. President, Mahatma Gandhi’s life and teachings will continue to be relevant in the 21st century for another important reason. Throughout his life, he preached and practiced mutual tolerance and understanding among people belonging to all the religions of the world. In this, he echoed the age-old conviction of India’s civilisation that ‘Truth is One, the wise only interpret it differently – ‘Ekam Sat Viprah Bahudha Vadanti’.

Today, the world is getting smaller and more inter-dependent than ever before. Therefore, more than ever before, the followers of different religions need to show equal respect for each other’s faiths and learn the virtues of peaceful co-existence. Extremism and terrorism in the name of religion are common enemies of mankind.

Both India and Kazakhstan can be proud that we are examples of this great principle. It is, therefore, fitting that Gandhiji should be honoured today in the land of batyrs (men of brave heart) – the men and women of Kazakhstan – who are building such a wonderful country together. Let Mahatma Gandhi continue to inspire the people of India and Kazakhstan – and indeed, the people of the world – in the decades and centuries to come.

Thank You~.