SPEECH BY HER EXCELLENCY THE PRESIDENT OF INDIA, SHRIMATI PRATIBHA DEVISINGH PATIL AT THE POST CENTENARY SILVER JUBILEE OF FERGUSSON COLLEGE AND DECCAN EDUCATION SOCIETY

Pune , 19th April 2010

I am very happy to participate in the Post Centenary Silver Jubilee celebrations of the prestigious Fergusson College, Pune founded by the Deccan Education Society. I convey my greetings and good wishes to the Society, the management, the faculty and the students, currently studying here as well as its alumni.

The Deccan Education Society was founded by Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Gopal Ganesh Agarkar, Vishnushastri Chiplunkar and Mahadeo Ballal Namjoshi. They all were men of great vision with a commitment to the welfare of society and social reform. It was this illustrious Society that founded this college with the ideal of blending tradition with modernity to create a new awakening and better citizens for the country.

Looking back, the story of Fergusson College can be said to have begun from a small but significant effort in 1880 when the New English School was founded here in Pune. In those times, once students completed their school studies continuing them posed a challenge as there were only very few colleges. An acute need for an institute of higher education was, thus, felt by the founders of the school. It was in this context, that in 1885, the first ever privately managed college in India was founded. This college has in the past 125 years made a place for itself not only in Maharashtra but also through out India. I am very proud to tell you that my father, Nanasaheb Narayanrao Patil and uncle Shripatrao Patil were students of Fergusson College.

Fergusson College is not just an institution of higher education; it is much more than that, it symbolizes the ever continuing quest to achieve an ideal. The college was founded with the goal of providing education with a national ethos, an education which would be based on the principles of self-dependence and an education that would be affordable to the common people. Mahatma Gandhi's political guru and patriot, Gopal Krishna Gokhale during his farewell address to Fergusson College in September 1902, said, "The principal moral interest of this institution is in fact that it represents an idea and embodies an ideal. The idea is that Indians of the present day can bind themselves together, and putting aside all thoughts or worldly interests, work for secular purpose with zeal and enthusiasm … .

The situation was different 108 years ago when those words were uttered, yet the goal continues to remain the same even now. Then, it was the need for a sense of unity to work to make India a free nation and to make sacrifices for that. Today, after independence there is a need to work unitedly and with communal harmony so as to strengthen the nation and to realize the immense potential of India's human resources. Whenever I speak to youth and the students, it is with great hope. India is a nation with an ancient cultural heritage with a young demographic profile. The youth will carry the country forward to take its place as one of the fastest growing and the largest economies of the world. The variety and the kind of opportunities that exist today were unthinkable during my times when I was a student. The advances in science and technology have opened new areas of activities and new fields of knowledge. The youth must be equipped with the skills to grasp these opportunities. In academic institutions, the students must focus on learning and reading. Education and knowledge enriches human personality. Such a person learns many things and, therefore, it is said that such a person can see more than a person who is not literate.

Your knowledge and learning will help you earn a livelihood and to achieve success in the world. You must put in the very best in the work that you do. Do not be content with average performance and average achievement. Strive for excellence. This will enhance the image of India and Indians. After independence, many schools and colleges as well as universities were established, and as a result an educated class was created. But to face the many challenges that confront our nation, like population growth, unemployment, disease and also corruption, it is necessary to think of how the educated class can contribute to solving these issues. We always blame the Government for everything. Blame the Government where it is responsible, but is it only the Government's responsibility? We have to play our role however small, and think how we can face the challenges unitedly, as responsible persons. Also at every step see how your knowledge can be used for the welfare of society and to create a peaceful, prosperous and progressive nation. You must think of how to work selflessly for the country. And for the students of Fergusson College, I think it should be your purpose, because the Deccan Education Society was founded on these very ideals. You must think of how to strengthen the great traditions and values of Indian society, such as unity in diversity, as also a sense of brotherhood and equality, and a feeling of harmony How to serve the under-privileged sections of society? How to care for the environment? Your contribution to these causes will result in building an equitable and inclusive society.

India is going through a unique phase in its history, a phase in which one is slowly witnessing many transformations. The explosion of knowledge and information is leading to the creation of new fields of study. The role of colleges in today's knowledge based and technology driven world has immensely increased and, therefore, they must fulfill the country's requirement for well-educated and well-trained personnel.

Fergusson College and its affiliated colleges have produced a number of luminaries in various fields. I am happy to know that keeping with the needs of the times, the College upgraded faculties in technical education, management, vocational training and agricultural research.

In February this year, some students, including one from your College, became victims in the terrorist attack in Pune, which took a number of lives and left many others injured with lifelong disabilities. Those who lost their lives had dreams to fulfill, not only for themselves but for their parents. Such terrorist incidents and other incidents of violence against innocent people are an attack on our national ethos. We are a nation that prides itself for its adherence to the principles of tolerance and peace. We look at humanity and the entire human race as one large family. However, terrorists are working against humanity, killing innocent men and women. They have to be defeated. India is working with the international community in the fight against terrorism. We, however, we must not allow terrorists to deter us from our goals of development and progress. We must persist with our work. I am confident that Fergusson College will continue to provide learning opportunities for the youth and shall determinedly face challenges.

My best wishes to all the professors and lecturers of Fergusson College. Their work has many dimensions. They provide the broad context of knowledge within which their students can understand the content of their more specific studies. They create the learning environment in which students are encouraged to think carefully and critically. They should imbibe in them a value system, through which their lives would be enriched. The world looks at Indian culture with respect. Since our culture has a special place in the world, respect for India is growing.

In conclusion, I congratulate the Fergusson College on this important occasion. It should strive and retain its leadership as it has for the last 125 years. I once again wish all present here my good wishes.

Thank you.

JAI HIND!