Shri Pranab Mukherjee, Hon’ble Rashtrapatiji,   

Shri Pinarayi Vijayan, Hon’ble Chief Minister,

Prof. P.J. Kurien, Deputy Chairman, Rajya Sabha,

Justice Thottathil Radhakrishnan, Acting Chief Justice, Kerala High Court,

Shri Ramesh Chennithala, Leader of the Opposition,

Prof. K.V. Thomas, Member of Parliament,

Shri Oommen Chandy, former Chief Minister,

Shri  Venu Rajamony, Press Secretary to the President,

Shri R. Balachandran, Organizer of this meeting,

Ladies and Gentlemen, Friends in Media, 

       I am very happy to address you all as we eagerly wait to hear our Hon’ble Rashtrapatiji, Shri Pranab Mukherjee, deliver the sixth K.S. Rajamony Memorial Lecture on “India at Seventy.”   

       We are extremely fortunate to have the Hon’ble President of India to deliver this Lecture, which in the past had been given by eminent persons like Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer, Justice K.T. Thomas, Shri Salman Khurshid etc.  The eminence of these speakers also signifies the contributions of the Late K.S. Rajamony to various fields of activity.

       Though a Lawyer by profession, the Late K.S. Rajamony's interests and activities touched upon several areas including   academics, art, culture and social work. He also held many positions by virtue of his integrity and eminence in the Legal profession. His services also extended to a lead role in the Bharat Scouts and Guides, the School for the Blind and in the foundation of Kerala People's Arts Club, the Flying Club etc.   I am happy that the legacy left behind by him is being carried forward by his family, through the K.S. Rajamony Foundation.

       As we all know, through seven decades of Independence,   India has established itself as an emerging power, and as one of the fastest growing economies. We have just proved our strength in science and technology through the launching of a record 104 satellites in one go, using our PSLV C 37.  India rising to bethe third largest military power, the sixth in the race for Space and the tenth industrial power cannot be seen as small achievements. Besides, in the employment sector, we are awaiting the positive effect of a demographic dividend with the largest number of young people in the world. Undoubtedly, all this is due to the strength of our vibrant democracy.

       Yet, there are many areas where India has miles to go, not only in sustaining the development it has achieved, but also in ensuring the maturity of its democratic tradition. The qualitative strength of our education, the effectiveness of our health care services and the goals we have set for the coming years also may deserve to be reviewed.

       I hope our Hon’ble Rashtrapatiji would be touching upon some of these aspects in his learned Lecture on “India at Seventy.”

       With these words, I invite Shri Pranab Mukherjee, the Hon’ble President of India, to deliver the sixth K.S. Rajamony Memorial Lecture.

Thank You,

Jai Hind