This day, the day of moving this resolution by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, is a day of congratulations our country and its history. When I was listening to the speech of Pandit Nehru, I felt as we had finished one part of our Journey and were beginning the next. Now, when the first part of our journey comes to a close, we feel obliged to look back. In the history of the last twenty years, a great man, born amongst us, has so melodiously and artistically harmonized our life that it would be ingratitude on our part, it we do not bow to him. It is not possible to enumerate in this short time, what Mahatma Gandhi has given us and contributed towards our national life and what is being given by him to us even now. But if you take a little trouble and go back to the circumstances prevailing 27 and 28 years ago, you will find what great progress has been made, in our country through the efforts of the world’s greatest leader. There was a time when Congress was merely passing resolutions and assembling for three days during Christmas and it considered that its duty ended there. When Mahatma Gandhi said that we would not get independence by passing resolutions, and that strength was necessary to obtain rights, the nation looked at him inbewilderment and thought the he had gone mad. The message of gaining strength for a nation without arms appeared to be a mad idea in the history of the world. The world thought of only one way as means of attaining national rights and that was the way of violence. Should we not remember today that development of mass consciousness in the country, which was carried out by Mahatma Gandhi by non-violent methods? It appealed to the people and they organised. I think that it was the greatest gift of Mahatma Gandhi that he changed a mere resolution-passing Congress into a fighting body. His second great gift to our country was that the Congress which worked only for three days (in a year) was changed into a permanent organisation. His third great gift is of a national language. We used to express ourselves in a foreign language. Mahatma Gandhi by offering us Hindi as a National language, gave us a chance to feel and awaken our national sentiments. One of those boons is that of the Flag which has been offered by him to this country. Thus centralising the collective strength of our country in the form of this flag, he inspired us to proceed and march on the way to sacrifice. Today, on behalf of all of us, I offer my homage at the feet of this great man.
