Prime Minister of India - Dr. Manmohan Singh

PM's speech at the Indira Gandhi award function

"On the Solemn occasion of the anniversary of the martyrdom of our beloved Indiraji, I deem it an honour and a privilege to be associated with the presentation of the Indira Gandhi Prize for National Integration to one of our most distinguished, innovative and socially conscious film makers, Shri Shyam Benegal.

Indiraji's life and work centred around preserving, defending and promoting the unity and integrity of our country. She devoted herself to this sacred cause to the very end of her life. It was therefore only fitting that the award we have instituted in her memory should in fact be to celebrate the contribution of our countrymen to our national integration. Ours is an ancient civilisation, but we are a young nation. As Prime Minister, Indiraji inherited a nation in the making. The foundation for the emotional integration of our nation was laid by the leaders of our freedom struggle - the political leaders, the intellectual leaders, the cultural and literary leaders, the business and religious leaders - through our struggle for Independence. It was not just their political slogans, but the cultural expression of the Indian people that enabled our emotional integration. Cinema played an important role even at that time.

After Independence, it was given to Pandit Nehru, Sardar vallabh Bhai Patel, Moulana Abul Kalam Azad and other leaders of our Republic to create the political and institutional basis of our national integration. This they did in great measure and with great aplomb. Indiraji inherited, as Prime Minister, a nation that had already stood the most trying tests and had indeed come of age. However, it devolved on her to deal with the challenges of rising expectations in the face of an as yet modest economic performance. She understood where the challenge lay. In a short period of time she focused her energies on strengthening the foundation of economic well-being and growth and ensuring the administrative and scientific modernisation of India to deal with the immense challenges the Nation was facing.

Indiraji's contribution to national integration can not, however, be measured purely in terms of the measures she took or the political struggles she waged. Her real contribution was in creating the economic, social and cultural basis for the emotional integration of our as yet young nation. Her commitment to the uplift of the poor, to the revitalisation of our agrarian economy, to the strengthening of our industrial and technological base and to building new centres of education science and technology helped bring marginalised groups and regions into the national mainstream.

Indiraji's first ministerial assignment was in the area of information and entertainment. She was conscious of the social and political role and influence of cinema in the promotion of national integration. Both as the Minister for Information and Broadcasting and later as Prime Minister, Indiraji had a keen understanding of the role of cinema in the emotional integration of our country. Speaking at the golden jubilee celebrations of the Indian Talkies, Indiraji referred to the role of our great film makers in understanding the problems of our age and pointedly remarked 'Enduring national integration can take place only when we are able to create respect for and understanding of the cultures of all communities, all sections of our society and all religions.'

In honouring the memory of such a great leader, we have every year honoured ourselves in the choice we have made of the awardees for the Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration. An array of the best and the most committed Indians have been so honoured thus far. It is, therefore, with immense pride and satisfaction in the continuation of this endeavour that we honour Shyam Benegal today. Benegalji, has established himself as a film maker of great distinction and deep commitment and profound understanding both at home and abroad. The quality and content of his films have been enriched by the portrayal of our nation in the making. The themes he has chosen, of social and economic empowerment, of gender equality, of human rights and of development and progress, lie at the very core of our struggle to create a new India, free from the fear of want and exploitation.

The overall impact of the messages emanating from his films has been to strengthen the foundation of our national integration. The statement of Shyam Benegal, 'As a film maker what has always interested me is human rights' is a tribute to our democracy. 'My social concern' he declared 'has always been to uphold the rights of individual human beings'. Benegalji's films deal with the problems of caste, economic and political oppression and give us hope by showing that in the end Right has a chance of winning over Might.

The central importance of his contribution to Indian cinema lies in his willingness and ability to convey a powerful social message in a credible, yet realistic manner. From his earliest days, when he made the path-breaking 'Ankur' situated in backward Telangana, to his more recent films he has revealed an amazing ability to educate even as he entertains, to give articulation to the voice of protest through the joys and struggles of ordinary people in ordinary places.

The empowerment of women has been an important underlying theme in almost all his films. In 'Ankur', in 'Manthan', in 'Bhumika' and even in 'Mandi', Benegal's women are intelligent, powerful, purposeful, determined, yet humane and compassionate, like the person whose memory we commmorate today. Indeed, apart from his contribution to national integration, it is Benegal's contribution to the empowerment of the Indian woman, which would also have made Indiraji proud of our choice of today's awardee. Apart from his feature films, Benegal's documentaries have also contributed to the sense of our Indian-ness. His ability to touch an emotional chord in an audience in rural Gujarat as well as in metropolitan Kolkata, to win accolades among the ordinary people as from discriminating critics in prestigious juries is a unique quality and would be the envy of film makers anywhere in the world. I salute Benegalji for his commitment, I compliment him for his craftsmanship, I congratulate him for earning this prestigious award in the memory of our beloved Indiraji."