By : Khushi Tyagi
PM Modi gave ‘Panch Pran’ call to make India developed country by 2047. The Panchprans taken by PM were : move forward with bigger resolves and resolve of a developed India, erase all traces of servitude, be proud of India’s legacy, strength of unity of citizens including PM and CMs. The Prime Minister started with honouring the forgotten heroes who played a role in the country’s Independence and recalled the strength of women and sacrifice of freedom fighters including Rani Lakshmi Bai and Begum Hazrat Mahal and said the nation is beholden to them. He also said that Rajendra Prasad, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Vir Savarkar and others were the nation builders. The PM said,
“The citizens are thankful to Mahatma Gandhi, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Babasaheb Ambedkar and Veer Savarkar who gave their lives on the path of duty.”
Asserting that the heroes of history have been forgotten, PM Modi said India’s innumerable revolutionaries shook the foundation of British Rule. “This nation is thankful to Mangal Pandey, Tatya Tope, Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, Rajguru, Chandrashekhar Azad, Ashfaqulla Khan, Ram Prasad Bismil and our innumerable revolutionaries who shook the foundation of the British Rule,” he added. In the next 25 years, PM Narendra Modi pledged to make India a more developed nation that can compete on an international front. He urged the youth of the country to “dedicate the next 25 years of their lives to the nation’s development.” PM Modi said that there should be no trace of slavery in our mindset and we should not try to become like others. He further said that we don’t have to carry forward any reflection of our servitude in the country. During his Independence Day 2022 speech, PM Modi said that we should always be proud of our heritage.
During the speech, the prime minister said, “Apni dharti se judenge tabhi toh uncha udenge.” PM Modi asked all the citizens of the country to keep in mind the “ekta and ekjutta (Unity and solidarity)” of the country. He further coined the slogan, “ek barat shresth bharat (one country, proud country).” While talking about the pledge of each person as a citizen of India, PM Narendra Modi said, “The fifth pledge is the duty of citizens. It is the duty of people to save electricity, water.” He further said that this pledge applies to each and every India, even the prime minister. The prime minister cautioned the countrymen against complacency over the country’s achievements in the last 75 years, and said it has to now focus its strength on fulfilling the “Panch Pran” in the next 25 years in the run up to the centenary of its independence. He spelt out the five pledges as a resolve for a developed India; removing any trace of the colonial mindset; taking pride in our legacy; our strength of unity; and fulfilling the duties of citizens, which include prime minister and chief ministers as well. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day speech not only truly befitted the momentous occasion but also brought to the fore the fact that he was carrying forward the legacy of our freedom struggle in both word and spirit.
The movement for Independence which witnessed supreme sacrifices by millions of Indians was aimed at not only political freedom but it was also a quest for selfhood. Modi’s vision to make Bharat a developed country by 2047 as mentioned in his speech had already started unfolding ever since he took the reins of the nation in 2014. His clarion call to check nepotism, corruption and end the ‘dynast’ culture in all spheres of our social life has been preceded by actions in this regard.
The Western paradigm which our country followed till now is based on colonization and focus on our rights whereas Modi, bringing back the ancient Bharatiya tradition, has talked about giving precedence to duties. He is looking forward to building a dutiful nation and not a nation of right seekers. Modi also talked about another hallowed tradition of Bharat: Respecting women and girls in both the word and spirit by the society at large. According to our scriptures ‘Yatra Naari Pujyante, Tatra Ramante Devta’ (Gods live at those places where the women are worshipped). Feminism is inherent in Sanatan Dharma. In fact, our ancient traditions go beyond the Western concept of gender equality; Bharat has always considered ‘feminine’ to be more superior than masculine.
The tradition of worshipping the goddesses is a manifestation of this deep understanding of the importance of women. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for a developed India is an ominous signal for an inspirational society who has the capability and the potential to show the rest of the world a new model of development which is sustainable, brings greater equality and ends all kinds of conflicts. The nation has miles to go before it can arrive at destination ‘New India’, but if every citizen lends his shoulder to the wheel, the goal should be well within our reach. Blood, sweat and tears—as in earlier times and different climes—are in order. But we need to chart out our own path. Any borrowed ‘isms’ will not do, as Dr. Deendayal Upadhyaya emphasized in his Mumbai series of lectures in 1965 and which was reiterated by Mohan Bhagwatji in his Vijayadashami address in Nagpur on September 30, 2017. Swami Vivekananda Ji has already spelt out the way ahead for us: “We must grow according to our nature. Vain is it to attempt the lines of action that foreign societies have engrafted upon us.” Mindsets also need to change in the country if we are to realise our goals, be it Swachh Bharat, Start-up India, Make in India, etc. We have to first instill in ourselves the spirit of Rashtra Dharma that Deendayal Upadhyayaji talked about.
All our actions and efforts have to be directed to the realisation of this dharma. Recall, too, that Prime Minister Modi’s vision of New India is not restricted just too developmental goals. “India is about shanti, ekta and sadhbhavna. Casteism and communalism will not help us. Violence in the name of asthaa is not something to be happy about; it will not be accepted in India.” The Prime Minister said, from agriculture to drones, the youth can work on innovations across sectors. He exhorted the youth to work to create smart solutions for the agriculture sector like promoting use of drones, or new technology for irrigation. Interacting with Smart Hackathon innovators through video conference last night the Prime Minister said, today’s young generation is creating fast and smart solutions for India. He said, to augment innovation in India, there is a need to provide both social and institutional support to the young innovators adding that effective collaboration among students, government along with private organisations will fulfill the dream vision of New India. He said, from service to manufacturing, there are a plethora of opportunities in New India. Prime Minister urged the youth to look at innovations not just for India but for countries across the world. He stressed on the need to take affordable, sustainable and innovative solutions to the world.
What we dream is what we see; similarly, how we visualize India of 2047 will determine the revolutions we will adopt over the next twenty-five years. From a country seen as a pauper to one aspiring to become a $5 trillion economy, the 75-year post-Independence history has been scripted with grit, resilience, ambition, and confidence. We braved multiple wars, natural disasters, political instabilities, pandemics, and also the economic challenges that came with and without these setbacks. But we were able to make giant strides in all spheres — from education to health, agriculture to science and technology, social welfare to foreign relations, economy to philanthropy, and entertainment to sports — finding opportunities in the adversaries. But as we bask in the glory of the past, it is also important to examine the present, and plan for the future. Where will India be 25 years from now, when it turns 100? What vision do we have for the India of 2047? An India that aspires to become a Vishwaguru and global powerhouse, attaining new heights of prosperity by ensuring overall rural and urban growth, emerging from the effects of the pandemic
