Former President of India (2012-2017), Pranab Mukherjee (1935 – 2020), Bharat Ratna award recipient, passed away on September 31 at 84 due to septic shock caused by the lung infection.
Various leaders cutting across the party lines have condolences the demise of Mukherjee including President Ramnath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, opposition leader Rahul Gandhi.
Inset collage shows the tributes by facebook friends and ex-students
He was secularist and patriot of great calibre as reflected in some his quotes as follows:
As Indians, we must of course learn from the past; but we must remain focused on the future. In my view, education is the true alchemy that can bring India its next golden age.
Any attempt at defining our nationhood in terms of dogma and identities or religion, region, hatred and intolerance will only lead to dilution of our identity. We accept and respect our pluralism and celebrate our diversity.
The Constitution of India represents the hopes and aspirations of a billion plus Indians. From our Constitution flows our nationalism. The construct of Indian Nationalism is Constitutional Patriotism.
India’s nationhood is not one language, one religion, one enemy. It is perennial universalism of 1.3 billion people who use more than 122 languages and 1600 dialects, practice 7 major religions and belong to three major ethnic groups that live under one system, one flag and one identity of being Bhartiya.
People are at the centre of all activities of the state and nothing should be done to divide them. The aim of the state should be to galvanise them to fight a concerted war against poverty, disease and deprivation. Only then can we create a nation where Nationalism flows automatically.
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