India mother of democracy: Prez Murmu on eve of 77th I-Day

Addressing the nation on the eve of the 77th Independence Day celebrations, President Droupadi Murmu on Monday said that India is the mother of democracy and that the country’s shining example of truth and non-violence has been successfully employed in many political struggles around the world

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She said that India had democratic institutions functioning at the grassroots since “ancient times”, but long years of colonial rule wiped them out. “India is the mother of democracy and since ancient times, we had democratic institutions functioning at the grassroots. But long years of colonial rule wiped them out. On August 15, 1947, the nation woke up to a new dawn. We not only won freedom from foreign rule, but also the freedom to rewrite our destiny,” President Murmu said.  “With our Independence began the era of foreign rulers withdrawing from many colonies and colonialism drew close to its end. What is special about our freedom struggle is not only the fact that its objective was achieved, but also how it was fought. Under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi and a galaxy of extraordinary visionary leaders, our national movement was animated by a unique set of ideals. Gandhiji and others re-kindled the soul of India and helped the nation rediscover its civilisational values,” the President said.