Honourable Chief Guest of the day, distinguished guests for the occasion,

teachers, parents and all my dear friends,

This day 15th August of every year is a golden day engraved in the history of the world. We got freedom on this date and it is a day worth a celebration. When we celebrate it hoisting the flag, playing our National Anthem with fervour, distributing sweets, we need to sail back into the past to remember and pay homage to the builders of our nation.

My dear friends,

We were the privileged lot to have been born in free India. We were able to breathe the fresh free air since our birth. If at all we want to know the pangs of agony of being slaves under a foreign rule, we must ask our elders born before 1947. It was indeed a Himalayan task for every Indian those days to fight against those powerful giants – the British rulers. We must not allow those hard times and struggles fade away from our memories.

Hence it is befitting for us to celebrate such National festivals and recall those heroic deeds of our National heroes. We remember them today. Right from Mahatma Gandhi to the local patriotic leaders we owe our gratitude. When we regard those martyrs who laid their precious lives for our sake, we must not ignore the common people who sacrificed their lot for the good cause. There were farmers, land lords, businessmen, teachers, writers, poets and students who helped the land achieve the long cherished freedom.

Today we have come a long way in the path of free India. We have proved ourselves worthy of freedom. We are considered as the largest democracy in the world. How proud we were when Abhinav Bindra made our National Flag flutter and ‘Jana Gana Mana’ played at the background in Beijing? We are proud of it and feel very happy about all these positive aspects. But are we blind to the black clouds surrounding us? Are we very successful in using our freedom in the right manner? If so, why should there be so many bomb blasts, killings, attacks on government offices, cases against so many politicians and so many unstable governments?

Well my dear friends, what can a student do at this juncture? Should we go and catch the terrorists? Should we fight against the corrupted politicians? Or should we take over the country into our hands by waging another war for freedom? No, we are not expected to do all these things. We must keep observing things around us. We will have our own day. Before that, let us do our duty of preparing ourselves to be well-educated citizens of tomorrow. Let us do our duty sincerely and study hard to achieve a goal. Today we require youngsters with lot of knowledge and energy. Illiteracy is the first enemy for a democratic nation. Let us get rid of illiteracy and take India to a bright future.

Jai Hind