Text of the Vice-President’s speech – Centenary celebration of IP College of Women (excerpts)

Delhi: 07 FEB 2024 

Good morning to all!

Dear girls, you are in sunshine & because of you whole Bharat is in sunshine.

26 जनवरी को देखा नहीं, क्या हुआ? सिर्फ आप ही दिख रहे थे कर्तव्य पथ पर। 26 जनवरी को भारत की नारी शक्ति का प्रदर्शन विश्व के लिए एक क्रांतिकारी मॉडल बना है। किसने कल्पना की थी आर्मी, एयर फोर्स, नेवी, हेलीकॉप्टर, हवाई जहाज… सब जगह आप ही आप थे।

Education, girls, is the most impactful transformational mechanism. Education ही वह बदलाव लाती है जहाँ समानता आती है, जहाँ inequities को खत्म किया जाता है. But girls’ education is beyond transformation. Girls’ education is a revolution, girls’ education is changing an epoch.

कोई भी संस्था हो, उसकी ताकत है Faculty. The Nation is Proud of the Faculty of this college.
It has dedicated staff members.

Girls, let me declare to you, I invite you to visit Indian Parliament as my guest. You will be thrilled, you will be amazed कि भारत कितना बदल गया है. My office will be in touch with the Principal, we will coordinate.

It is time for our industry leaders to handhold our educational institutions as a role model.
मुझे थोड़ी चिंता होती है और वह थोड़ी चिंतन का विषय भी है कि हमारे उद्योगपति विदेशी संस्थाओं को मोटा-मोटा डोनेशन देते हैं… Girls, the donation is to the extent of 50 million US dollars. मैं इसके खिलाफ नहीं हूं, पर उनको देश में भी देना चाहिए।

Corporate world must come forward. Take him as an example and liberally contribute from their CSR funds for educational institutions, particularly those that are for girls. I will be happy to interact with the industry on this point.

I am privileged to be here, in an institution that is the epicenter of change, a nerve center to formulate the new Bharat.

And your motto, anyone who has come out with the motto has been futuristic and has been fully aware of our civilisational depth and ethos – ‘Truth, Love, Knowledge, Service,’ what more do you want! Your motto captures the essence of humanity, provides a foundation for the growth of the planet.

Your campus, girls, is a perfect place for igniting ideas. You can be aspirational. If you have a dream, presently there is an ecosystem in this country where you can unleash your energy, you can exploit your potential, realise your dreams. That ecosystem is there. You are lucky, those of my generation were not as lucky as you are.

Girls, we are in Amrit Kaal. Amrit Kaal is a time of hope and possibility. In Amrit Kaal, we are the 5th largest economy of the globe, having overtaken Canada, UK, and France. In the next 2 and 3 years, we would have overtaken Germany and Japan to be the third-largest. But, girls, this is a marathon, and for this marathon, which will take us to 2047, you are the foot soldiers. This marathon will take us to 2047, with Bharat being the developed nation of the world and the number 1 nation of the world.

What do we need? We need commitment to nationalism. भारतीयता हमारी पहचान है। भारतीय होना हमारा सम्मान है। We must respect our nation. We must believe in our exponential phenomenal rise.

दुनिया की संस्थाएं कहती है India is a bright spot, economic hub, opportunities and investment destination और यह सब World Bank मान रहा है, IMF मान रहा है। हमारी जो growth है आज के दिन उतनी growth कभी नहीं रही है… दुनिया के अंदर, we have unrivalled growth in the economy, the entire world is looking at us.

Girls, India, our Bharat, is home to one-sixth of humanity. We have a defining moment in this century and you are defining the growth of India. Girls are defining the growth of India!

When it started, it started with the mechanism – बेटी बचाओ बेटी पढ़ाओ- It has been a great success. Second, every home should have a toilet, another great success. Everyone must have a bank account, another success, every household must have tap water, another great success . But, all these have culminated in the growth of human power, and Mudra has changed society because more than 50% of Mudra alone is by girls and women, and they are leading that.

Nothing is beyond achievement in Bharat now. और ये तो हमने दिखा दिया… Chandrayaan-3, चाँद के उस कोने पर उतरा जहाँ किसी का नहीं उतरा आज तक. History was etched forever!

चाँद पर Tiranga Point, चाँद पर Shhakti Point, और इसके पीछे, we have a rocket women, they have a greater contribution.

Girls, आने वाला समय आपका रहेगा मेरे मन में कोई शंका नहीं है। 20 और 21 सितंबर, नारी शक्ति वंदन अधिनियम
constitutional reservation for women to the extent of one third in the Lok Sabha and state legislature is now a ground reality.

थोड़ा सोचिए, और हमारी जमात तो सोचते हुए भी घबरा जाएगी की लोकसभा में एक तिहाई से ज्यादा महिलाएं होंगी, आपका रिजर्वेशन है one third पर बाकी two third में भी आप टक्कर दे सकती हैं, और यही असेंबलीज में भी होगा… and this is natural…. How can the planet be safe? How can the humanity be safe? How can we have inclusive growth if half of the population is kept away from participation in the formulation of policies and governance?

मुझे कई बार अजीब लगता है, लोग कहते हैं कि we are heading towards ‘women led governance’.It is already there, you feel it at the home, you feel it in bureaucracy, you feel it in space, you feel it in armed forces.

And time for us, I am talking about my gender, to reconcile to this reality, because this reality if for the welfare of all.

Girls, I’ll give you a few suggestions. It’s time for you to think big, time for you to think the way you want to think. If there is an idea that occurs to you, implement that idea. Don’t have fear of failure; fear of failure is the killer of innovation. It is the killer of growth. No one has made history without failing once or twice. No one ever landed on the moon for the first time without facing failures. Every failure has to be taken as a stepping stone.

आपके मन में अगर कोई अच्छा विचार आता है कुछ कर गुजरने की तमन्ना उत्पन्न होती है, Don’t make your mind as a parking space of  for that idea. अगर आप ऐसा करेंगे,  it will be injustice to you and to the society also so take a big jump.

मैं कहूंगा आर्थिक राष्ट्रवाद… क्या अच्छा लगता है, कि इस देश में खिलोने, पतंग, carpet, furniture, curtains, candles, खाने पीने की साधारण चीज़ें- chocolates…. बहार से आनी चाहिये क्या? एक मानस बनाइये!

Girls, I leave you with a thought, and the thought is, you will alone handle our march to Bharat @2047. You are the principal participant in this marathon race that requires physical fitness, financial fitness, and our country possess that. So, please lead this march effectively and impactfully to take our Bharat Mata at the peak of the Comity of nations

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