Big powers have done all they could to add to the strength of the Pakistan army but they have done little to strengthen its people. The help they gave never reached the people. It swelled the coffers of only a handful of rulers. The result was that Pakistan got a false sense of strength, its foundations continued to be weak.
Many countries ridiculed our unity, saying that we had people who spoke many languages and professed many religions. They asked how democracy could flourish in a country of illiteracy and poor people. Western commentators wondered how India could maintain unity in the face of so much diversity. However, we adhered to our path, because we were sure that it was the correct path, and those who criticized had not now India. Many times in the past also what we said had proved to be correct. But it was unfortunate that they failed to understand India and her brave people.
Ours is an ancient country with a civilization several centuries old, and we have been trying to follow the principles laid down ages ago. As human beings, we are liable to commit mistakes. but we have certainly been trying to follow the highest ideals. We also know that our social life does not always reflect them. However, we do try, and we shall continue to uphold those ideals. We have to go in trying to build up the country of our dreams and it is this endeavor which binds our people who belong to different religions, speak different languages and hold different views. So long as we pursue these ideals and adhere to our chosen path, nothing can break up our unity or weaken us. This is what the people outside our country have failed to understand.
Even in small countries where people speak more than one language, we witness interminable fighting going on. The question of language agitates us also but people outside India are unable to understand how a country where people speak so many languages-sixteen of which have been recognized in our Constitution-can maintain its unity. For us, however, these differences are matter of little consequence.
We are engaged in the great task of nation-building ever since we attained freedom. It was a great pity that we became slaves and that we continued to be so for many years. This great country of ours, with its great civilization was crushed under the heels of foreign domination. Our language, culture and traditions were destroyed to such a large extent that we ourselves began to feel that we had some weakness and that we could not compete with other nations. Unfortunately, this fear lurks somewhere in the minds of some people. They purchase goods manufacture of abroad, thinking that these are superior in quality. This is in spite of the fact that the people of foreign countries themselves are happy to purchase something made in India. This is just symbolic of the inferiority complex among the people who come under foreign domination. It is that we are fighting against.
It is true that we are backward in many things. It is so because we did not get an opportunity to go forward. Because we were slaves at a time when countries in Europe and United states underwent the industrial revolution, we were left behind in the race. Our administrators did not like any progressive force in this country to flourish. They wanted us to lose faith in ourselves because they knew that this was the only way to keep us backward. But a time comes in the history of a nation when events take a sudden
