"A century of achievements ends. A century of endeavour beckons to us. Our resplendent civilization with unbroken continuity from the third millennium B.C. looks ahead to peaks of excellence in the third millennium A.D.

It fails to us to work for India’s greatness. A great country is not one which merely has a great past, Out of that past must arise a glorious future.

Let us build an India.

- Proud of her independence;
- powerful in defence of her freedom;
- strong, self-reliant in agriculture, industry and front-rank technology;
- united by bonds transcending barriers of caste, creed and region;
- liberated from the bondage of poverty, and of social and economic inequality;

An India

- disciplined & efficient;
- fortified by ethical and spiritual values;
- a fearless force for peace on earth;
- the School of the world, blending the inner repose of the spirit with material progress;
- a new civilization, with the strength of our heritage, the creativity of the spring time of youth and the unconquerable spirit of our people.

Great achievements demand great sacrifices. Sacrifices not only from our generation and generations gone by, but also from generations to come.

Civilizations are not built by just one or two generations. Civilizations are built by the ceaseless toil of a succession of generations. With softness and sloth, civilizations succumb. Let us beware of decadence.

We must commit ourselves to the demanding task of making India a mighty power in the World, with all the strength and the compassion of her great culture.

To this cause, I pledge myself."

From the Presidential Address of Shri Rajiv Gandhi at Bombay