President Droupadi Murmu highlights India’s cultural heritage and calls for unity

President Droupadi Murmu addresses the gathering during the inaugural session of LokManthan-2024, in Hyderabad on Friday (November 22, 2024).
| Photo Credit: ANI

“All citizens must understand India’s cultural and intellectual heritage and strengthen our invaluable traditions. Diversity provides a rainbow of beauty to our fundamental unity. Whether we are forest dwellers, villagers, or city dwellers, we are all Indians,” said President of India Droupadi Murmu during her address at the inaugural session of LokManthan 2024, held in Hyderabad on Friday (November 22, 2024).

LokManthan, being organised at Shilpakala Vedika from November 22 to 24, is a colloquium of nation-first thinkers and practitioners to promote a unified national approach.

Speaking on historical and contemporary challenges to national unity, the President remarked, “Efforts have been made by adversaries to divide and weaken our society in every possible way. Artificial distinctions have been created to disrupt our shared unity. Yet, imbued with the spirit of Indianness, our people have kept the flame of national unity alive.” She highlighted the role of medieval saints, poets, and freedom fighters in preserving and advancing India’s emotional cohesion.

President Murmu also highlighted the significance of decolonising mindsets, citing recent efforts to break free from colonial legacies. She mentioned the replacement of outdated 19th-century laws with the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam. Other examples included renaming Rajpath to ‘Kartavya Path’, and Rashtrapati Bhavan’s Durbar Hall to ‘Gantantra Mandap’. The unveiling of a new statue of Lady Justice at the Supreme Court, with uncovered eyes, was also highlighted as a symbolic shift towards an evolving Indian identity, she said.

The event was also attended by Telangana Governor Jishnu Dev Varma, Union Minister for Coal and Mines G. Kishan Reddy, Minister for Women and Child Development Danasari Anasuya (Seethakka), and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat.

Union Minister Kishan Reddy described LokManthan as a “Kumbh Mela of scholars, academicians, and thinkers.” Minister Seethakka commended Hyderabad for exemplifying diversity, calling it a city that welcomes people from all walks of life.