Margao: MP Dr Shashi Tharoor, on Sunday, said that the ‘Idea of India’ has always been and will continue to be a labour of love, and urged the citizens not to lose hope in its essence during the “current trying times.”
Stating that India’s foundation rests on the sacrifices of people from all faiths, he warned against divisive forces. “Nobody has a monopoly over the idea of India because everyone belonging to every faith in this wonderful country of ours has shed their blood and sacrificed their lives to preserve and protect our future,” he said.
“The path as of now to a new India seems littered with the wreckage of the old and noble idea of India. We have already witnessed a partition in the Indian soil, and if this continues, we will witness the partition of
the Indian soul, which in my view will be no less devastating.”
Speaking at a public felicitation ceremony held for prominent businessman, author, social activist, thinker and Sahitya academy awardee Datta Damodar Naik on his 70th birthday, organised by Dakshinayan Abhiyan (Goa Unit) and Civil Society, Tharoor called for vigilance and unity to uphold India’s democratic and secular identity.
Acknowledging the efforts of democracy-loving citizens, he said, “Over the past five years, democracy and liberty-loving citizens of India have risen to reclaim our republic, rescuing the Constitution of India from high grove preserves of courtrooms, legal chambers, and academia. They have mobilised and centered to battle.”
On India’s diversity and democratic values, Tharoor said, “The idea of India was of a democratic nation based on human rights and citizenship backed by due process of law and equality. It is also about embracing the rich and extraordinary mix of ethnic groups, languages, topography, culture, and religions.” Naik, who was recogn-
ised for his work as an activist, entrepreneur, and author, expressed his commitment to progressive thought and safeguarding India’s diversity.
“I am an eternal rational optimist. We must dethrone divisive forces to preserve India’s mosaic,” he said.
Eminent linguist and Dakshinayan Abhiyan founder Ganesh Devy, Sadhana Weekly editor Vinod Shirsath, and industrialist Auduth Timblo shared personal anecdotes about Naik’s contributions.
Convenors of the felicitation committee, Dr Francisco Colaco and Adv Cleofato Almeida Coutinho, praised Naik’s unwavering conviction and celebration of progressive ideas.
