India’s 60 years as a republic
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| Gyalpoi Zimpoen Dasho Penjore offers a khadar to Ambassador Varma at the Indian embassy |
27 January, 2010 – As India celebrated its 61st republic day yesterday, the Indian community in Thimphu marked the occasion with festivities and ceremonies at the Indian Embassy grounds.
Gyalpoi Zimpoen Dasho Penjore and other senior Bhutanese officials joined the celebration.
After hoisting and unfurling the Indian flag, Indian ambassador to Bhutan, Mr Pavan K Varma read out the republic day address of the President of India.
In her address, President Pratibha Devisingh Patil highlighted India’s completion of six decades of working and striving along the principles and objectives of the Constitution, adopted in 1950.
The president said she was conscious of what must be preserved and what must be changed even as India became the world’s fourth largest economy in terms of purchasing power parity.
“A change is required, and of which I have spoken often is the eradication of social malpractices, in particular, those related to discrimination against women,” said the president. They posed as formidable hindrance on India’s path to building a progressive and equitable nation.
“Some refer the next decade of India to be a decade of reckoning,” the president said. “On reflection, I fully agree that it will be so.”
She said that the decade would require all Indians to do their work with a sense of responsibility, discipline, integrity of mind and purpose as well as with a spirit of cooperation.
The president emphasised the need to channelise all its citizen’s efforts towards the goal of taking the country to a higher level, that of all round national development.
On the occasion, the Indian ambassador expressed his profound pride on the successful completion of India’s 60 years as a republic. “It is not only a time for celebration but also a time of introspection of what needs to be done for the advancement of our country,” he said.
On the relationship between Bhutan and India, he said the two countries shared a special relationship based on complete trust, goodwill, understanding and mutual interest.
Mr Varma presented a Nu 250 million cheque, which the Indian prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh had pledged His Majesty last month as a contribution to the Bhutanese government.
Source: kuenselonline