'Each one of us is an equal citizen, has equal opportunity, rights, duties, in this land'

NEW DELHI: In her address to the nation on the eve of the 77th Independence Day celebrations, President Droupadi Murmu on Monday said that each one of us is an equal citizen, each one of us has an equal opportunity, equal rights and equal duties in this land. The President asserted that there is one identity above all-- that is everyone is a citizen of India.

In her address to the nation, President Murmu said, "My heartiest greetings to all of you on our 77th Independence Day! It is a glorious and auspicious occasion for all of us. I am overjoyed to see that festivity is in the air. It is a matter of delight as well as pride for us to see how everyone – children, youth and the elderly, in cities and villages, everywhere in India – is excited and preparing to celebrate this festival of our freedom.

The people have been celebrating ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ with great enthusiasm." She said that the Independence Day celebrations remind her of her childhood days. "We could not contain our excitement of participating in the Independence Day celebrations in our village school. When the tricolour was hoisted, we felt an electrifying energy pass through us.

With our hearts full of patriotic pride, we saluted the national flag and sang the national anthem. Sweets were distributed and patriotic songs were sung, which kept playing in our minds for many days," President Murmu said. She added that she was fortunate in having an opportunity to re-live these experiences when she became a school teacher.

The President added, "When we grow up, we may not remain as expressive of our joy as children are, but I am sure that the intensity of the patriotic feeling associated with the celebration of national festivals is not diminished at all. Independence Day reminds us that we are not merely individuals, but we are part of a great community of people. It happens to be the biggest and the greatest community of its kind. It is the community of the citizens of the world’s largest democracy."

"What we celebrate on Independence Day is the fact that we are part of a great democracy. Each of us has many identities – apart from caste, creed, language and region, we are also identified with our families and professions – but there is one identity that is above all. That is our identity as citizens of India. Each one of us is an equal citizen; each one of us has an equal opportunity, equal rights and equal duties, in this land," she said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hoist the national flag from the ramparts of the iconic Red Fort on Tuesday morning to a 21-gun salute and then address the nation.