Bharat Is My Home

Dr. Zakir Husain (1897–1969) was a distinguished educationist, freedom fighter and statesman who served as the third President of India. This chapter is an extract from the historic speech he delivered in 1967 after taking the oath of office as President.

Humility and a tribute to Radhakrishnan

Husain begins by confessing that he is deeply overwhelmed by the trust his people have placed in him by electing him to the highest office in the land. He pays a moving, heartfelt tribute to his predecessor, Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, praising him for bringing to the Presidency a level of mental equipment, deep erudition and wealth of experience rarely found anywhere in the world.

During a lifetime entirely devoted to the pursuit of knowledge and truth, Radhakrishnan did more than any other thinker to bring out the depth of Indian philosophical thought and the essential oneness of all true spiritual values. He never lost his faith in the essential humanity of man, constantly championing the right of all men to live in dignity and with justice.

Loyalty to the Constitution and the living past

Husain enters the office in a spirit of prayerful humility and total dedication. He takes the oath of loyalty to the Constitution of India, which he describes as the Constitution of a 'comparatively new State' built by an 'ancient people' through the cooperation of diverse ethnic and cultural elements. He pledges himself to the service of the timeless, absolute values of India's past culture.

He argues that the past is not dead and static; rather, it is alive, dynamic and actively involved in determining the quality of our present and the prospects of our future. The process of constant national renewal is, in reality, the process of the growth of national culture and national character. Husain firmly asserts that education is the 'prime instrument of national purpose', and that the quality of our education is inescapably involved in the quality of our nation.

'Bharat is my home and its people are my family'

He pledges his loyalty to the past culture of his country, from wheresoever it may have come and by whomsoever it may have been contributed. He then makes his famous, emotional declaration: 'Bharat is my home and its people are my family.' The people have chosen to make him the head of this family for a certain time, and he declares that it must be his earnest endeavor to make this home strong, beautiful and prosperous, a worthy place for a great people engaged in the fascinating task of building a just and graceful life.

The dual approach: work on self and for society

To achieve this national goal, Husain outlines a dual approach to work, describing two mutually fruitful aspects. Work on one's self involves following the inner urge toward moral development as a free person, under a self-imposed discipline; its end-product is a free, moral personality that formulates the character of our citizens. Work for the society around involves dedicating ourselves to the collective reconstruction of society into a better, more just and more graceful way of life.

These two aspects are completely interdependent, the individual cannot grow in full perfection without a corresponding advance of the collective social existence. He concludes that the State of India must not be treated as a mere organization of physical power, but as a moral organisation. Recalling the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi that state power must be used solely for moral purposes, he pledges to dedicate his entire energy to this enchanting enterprise.