Dear brothers and sisters,

Congratulations on this 73rd anniversary of Independence. Three score and fourteen years ago, India won her freedom, and we got the right to choose our own Government, of the people, for the people and by the people.

After a long struggle, and tremendous sacrifices, our Freedom Fighters had secured this political freedom. But to enjoy this hard won political freedom to the fullest, we have to ensure for our future generations the Freedom from Ignorance. The quest to be truly free is an ongoing quest that doesn’t allow us to rest but press on and defend the old freedoms and fight for the new one's. Unless we get this freedom from ignorance, the “votes for notes” will carry on depriving us of true freedom.

The most difficult person to train or educate is the person who thinks that he knows everything. I had heard a wise person once say that if one visits an ordinary road-side tea stall, the tea-vendor will tell you how Tendulkar should have batted. He will tell you how Virat Kohli can improve his batting average. He will even tell you how our Prime Minister should handle the current financial crisis. The only thing that the tea-vendor does not know, is how to make a good cup of tea, and that's his main avocation. Such people are the most difficult people to educate. And, you will all agree that imparting education is the DAV’s cup-of-tea.

Our Prime Minister wants India to be “Atamanirbhar”. For this, we have to have an educated India, a skilled India. Hence, DAV’s job becomes all the more important in helping India become truly Atmanirbhar.

During the last Freedom Struggle of 1947, my elders from the Arya Samaj, the DAV Alumni, DAV staff and students, played a very important role. Today, on this 74th Independence Day, let us pay homage to them, and pledge to keep on fighting for the Freedom from Ignorance.

Now-a-days, I see numerous runs taking place. So let us today start a movement -
RUN
FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT,
FROM IGNORANCE TO WISDOM.

Have a great day, enjoy this National Festival of Freedom.

मैं यह प्रार्थना करता हूँ, कि आप सब ख़ुश रहो, ख़ुशहाल रहो, आबाद रहो, आज़ाद रहो ।
जय हिन्द !