President Ram Nath Kovind extended greetings to the people of the country in his address to the nation on the eve of India's Republic Day on January 26 and stated that "this year’s celebrations may be muted due to the pandemic, but the spirit is as strong as ever".
Pointing out that it has been over two years now and humankind is still battling with the corona-virus, the President said: "Hundreds of thousands of lives have been lost, and the world economy has been reeling under the impact. The world has suffered from unprecedented misery, and surge after surge of new variants have been posing new crises. It has been an extraordinary challenge to humankind".
As the pandemic is still wide-spread, the President said: “We must remain alert and not let our guard down. The precautions we have taken till now have to be continued. Wearing mask and maintaining social distancing have been essential parts of COVID appropriate behaviour. In the fight against the COVID pandemic, it has now become a sacred national duty of every citizen to follow the precautions suggested by our scientists and experts. We have to discharge this duty till the crisis is behind us”.
Calling upon all to remember the great freedom fighters of the country on this day, the President quoted Mahatma Gandhi: “Remember that since we desire to attain our end by non-violent and truthful means only, we can do so only through self-purification. We should therefore devote the day to doing such constructive work as lies in our power to do.”
"He would have liked us to celebrate the Republic Day in the same manner. He wanted us to look inside, introspect and strive to become better human beings, and then also look outside, join hands with others, and contribute towards the making of a better India and a better world," the President said.
