Prime Minister of India - Dr. Manmohan Singh

PM's speech at the National Communal Harmony Award event

I deem it a privilege to be here to honour distinguished citizens of our country who have contributed to communal amity and harmony. I extend my hearty congratulations to Shri Ram Shankar Singh, the awardee of the Kabir Puraskar 2004, and to Acharya Shri Mahapragya and the Akhil Bharat Rachnatmak Samaj, the recipients of the National Communal Harmony Awards 2004.

These distinguished awardees have dedicated their lives to the cherished ideals of communal harmony and religious tolerance that define our ancient civilization. India is been home to all the great religions of the world. While some were born here, others took root here more than a millennia ago. This sub-continent has for centuries provided a unique social and intellectual environment in which so many religions could co-exist.

The Kabir Puraskar captures the moral message and the practical visions of inter faith harmony as exemplified, nearly six hundred years back, in the life and work of Kabir. His numerous verses, Dohas and hymns drawn upon the spirituality of both Hinduism and Islam. They deeply moved ordinary people over the centuries and inspired them to live in peace with one another. Shri Ram Shankar Singh is a remarkable citizen who put at stake his own life to prevent a communally charged mob from attacking people of another faith. He showed Gandhian courage and commitment in doing so.

Shri Ram Shankar Singh seemed to have been inspired by Mahatma Gandhi's view that "humanism is the true religion". The ideal of humanism, which was at the core of Kabir's teaching, rather than any sophisticated understanding of secularism, prompted Shri Singh to act in support of his fellow human beings. Their religion was different, but his faith was humanism and so he intervened to protect the other. People like Shri Ram Shankar Singh are the preservers, protectors and defenders of communal harmony and national integration. He richly deserves the award and I once again congratulate him for it.

I do believe that our notion of secularism must be imbued by humanism. Secularism is not a political ideology. It is a social and cultural philosophy of live and let live, and the non-interference of the State in the personal faith of an individual. Yesterday, I heard the eminent economist and Nobel Laureate, Dr. Amartya Sen, mentioned about the two different interpretations of secularism. One sees secularism as neutrality of the state towards towards religions. The other views secularism as distancing the state from any religious symbolism. While the latter is a Western concept, our country has followed the former view. The state, while being neutral, allows co-existence of all religions.

An informed view of the religious beliefs and practices of people belonging to other faiths is an important pre-requisite for communal amity. Acharya Sri Mahaprayagya has, through his writings and actions, attempted just this. An ardent exponent and practitioner of inter-faith harmony, he has immensely contributed to the promotion of unity among different religions by organizing peace marches and reconciliation conferences. His activities have awakened the consciousness of people and encouraged them to show respect to the faith of others.

The conferment of the National Communal Awards to Acharya is in recognition of his valuable efforts for fostering the cause of tolerance and understanding in society.

I also congratulate the Akhil Bharat Rachnatmak Samaj for working towards establishing peace and understanding among different religious communities and promoting national integration and peace in the country. The activists of Samaj have reached out to the areas affected by communal violence and have taken steps to restore peace and harmony there. The peace marches and relief work undertaken in militancy-ridden Punjab, terrorist-affected areas of Jammu-Kashmir and communally-disturbed areas of Gujarat are testimony to its commitment to national integration and communal amity. I congratulate them.

No religion supports violence. Those who resort to violence in the name of religion are doing a disservice to their faith and to humanity. Tolerance is an important lesson of all religions. All great saints, sages and teachers have, through the ages, had only one message for us mortals. To be tolerant of one another. No religion sanctions the killing of innocent people, and certainly not in the name of that religion. All religions of the world are great because all of them have a message of love and humanism.

Communal harmony is the basic building block of our country. Different communities have been living peacefully and amicably for centuries. The work of individuals such as Ram Shankar Singh and Acharya Sri Mahapragya and the institutional activities of Rachnatmak Samaj inspire us to deepen the traditions of communal harmony and safeguard them. They deserve our commendation and their activities need to be widely recognized and replicated. With these words I once again congratulate the awardees and wish them all success. May the path of those inspired by them be equally blessed.

Thank you.