27 Jan 2013

The Indian community in and around Gaborone converged at the Indian High Commission on Saturday to celebrate the 64th Republic Day of India.

 Mr Madhava Chandra, Indian High Commissioner to Botswana,who read the speech of the Indian President Shri Pranab Mukherjee, said time had come to ensure gender equality for every Indian woman.

Mr Chandra said they could neither avoid nor abandon this national commitment, for the price of neglect would be high. He noted that vested interests do not surrender easily and that the civil society and government must work together to fulfil the national goal.

“I speak to you when a grave tragedy has shattered complacency. The brutal rape and murder of a young woman, a woman who was symbol of all that a new India strives to be, has left our hearts empty and our minds in turmoil. We lost more than a valuable life; we lost a dream. If young Indians feel outraged, can we blame our youth”, he said to his visibly concerned fellow countrymen.

According Mr Chandra, the sanctity of a woman is a direct principle of that larger edifice called Indian civilisation. "When one brutalises a woman, he wounds the soul of Indian civilisation and now it was time for the nation to reset its moral compass and nothing should be allowed to spur cynicism, as cynicism is blind to morality," he added.

On other issues, he noted that last year had been a testing time for all, and as they moved ahead of the path of economic reforms, they must remain alive to the persisting problems of market-dependent economies. “Many rich nations are now trapped by a culture of entitlement without social responsibility obligations; we must avoid this trap”, he warned.

India, which is known for its Bollywood movies and intriguing music which are currently taking centre stage in world motion pictures, is endowed with rich and diverse cultural identities which have over decades successfully unified this Asian country.

It is one of the high tech country and commands a strong economy in the Asian sphere and has numerous bilateral agreements with most African countries, including Botswana. ENDS