May this birthday of free India be auspicious to you and to us.

Nine years ago, arose a new star of free India.

It was new and still old and came to brilliance after many years – after many many years of struggle and sacrifice, sweat and blood, a new India moulded by Gandhiji and a new colour and brightness emerged.

It had a new brilliance, and a new outlook.

You remember how two generations of us strove for independence.

Lakhs and crores of us, the people, fought for that freedom with bravery, in a peaceful way. We fought the enemy and made friends with him.

Thus we set a new example – not we, but Gandhiji because we were but weak soldiers of Gandhiji. Gandhiji taught us a new method. This way crores of people in India were moulded in that spirit by sacrifice and fire, with the result that we became free and the lustre of our independence reached other countries – not because we were a vast country or because 37 crores of people live here, but because a new method was adopted to fight the enemy by civilised and peaceful means and by making a friend of the enemy.

I recall to your mind that this was the true dignity of this country.

This impressed the world. The young men of today have forgotten this lesson. They have forgotten the way by which the prestige of India was raised in the eyes of the world and which imparted a brilliance to us. We have done some service in the field of international affairs.

We have had a hand in solving big problems.

Now, once again, we hear the distant rumblings of war, or the preparations for war, the eyes of the world are set upon us.

Why? Not because we have big armies or because we threaten anyone, but because we might do some service.

We have learnt to make friends and help to bring about peace and friendship between others and help in the solution of the big problems that face the world. That is why we have some reputation in the world.

Therefore, we have to remember our old lesson and we have to be on guard and to serve the world and ourselves also.

You have heard of the two words which went out of India not today but thousands of years ago and spread in the world – Panch Sheel, which explain how the countries of the world should behave towards each other.

These five principles are old and yet they are new.

These ideas have spread and many countries have accepted them.

At the present day, there is no other alternative. There are only two ways – one of destruction and war and the other of peace and Panchsheel.

There is no third way.

The world is gradually realising this. Once again the world is faced with a dangerous situation, once again in the month of August in which good things and bad things have happened.

In India a big empire came to an end and a new era began.

In this month we meet on August 15 to celebrate our freedom. But round about the same month started two big world wars, in 1914 and 1939. In the same month, and on the very date, the last war ended when the Japanese surrendered.

This is a strange month, full of danger and also good things. Therefore we have to be alert. The world is full of danger because this is the age of atom and hydrogen bombs.

Therefore, we cannot afford to be careless. We cannot forget our responsibilities; we cannot forget the lesson which Gandhiji taught us.

If we forget them, we perish.

I hope that the problem of Suez which has created dangers for the world would be solved in the conference meeting tomorrow in London. I believe some way would be found to solve it by peace.

We are friends with every country, especially with Egypt and England. We are friends of both. Therefore, whenever we get an opportunity to serve through peace, we do so with friendship and not by threats of force.

Therefore, I hope, in this matter, the people who are meeting there and who are our friends will be able to solve this problem by negotiation so that the honour of every country and peace are maintained.

Only those decisions are good in which no disrespect is shown to others.

If you use threats, you sow the seeds of another war.

But if a friendly solution is reached, it is good.

Do you remember how the problem of India's independence was solved?

India remained dependent for hundreds of years, but you know that this came to an end the way we fought our battle of freedom through friendship and cooperation.

The result is there is no enmity between England and India. On the contrary, we tried to forget old animosities between us.

We are friends now because we are both independent countries and because the dispute was solved through negotiation.

If they had tried to suppress us, the position would have changed entirely. We would, of course, have gained independence but there would have been left bitterness for long.

Therefore, the only way to solve problems should be by respecting each other's rights and by observing certain principles.

I hope the problem of Suez would be solved in the same way.

If not at the first attempt in London, it may be solved at a second or third attempt.

But one thing should be clear. We will not solve this or any other problem by force and intimidation.

If this time, an attempt is made to solve the problem by force, the result will be bad and the problem will not be solved.

A conflagration will be started which will spread throughout the world.

I have mentioned Panchsheel to you.

This word came from our land, out of our own language and spread in the world.

But when I look at my own country, we have to see how far we follow them.

In the last few months, I find in this country, in the last 7 or 8 months, strange things, strange scenes happening and often there are quarrels between brothers.

We fought the enemy and befriended it but we have not the patience or understanding to settle the disputes between brothers.

Is it not very strange?

The present generation seems to be of a different mould.

Our young men come out in the streets, attack their brothers and seem to show their courage in this way.

In our time, we faced the enemy and guns without raising our hands and without any complaints.

What is the matter with our present young men?

In what mould have they been cast?

Is the mould which freed India, the mould of Gandhiji finished?

We have to understand this. I am now old. We are old servants of this country. This age is passing but we did something in our time.

We did some service to India. We learnt that by sitting at the feet of Gandhiji and we were proud of it.

That way was appreciated by the world.

We have to give up petty things – coming out into the streets, fighting and burning.

Which way is India going today?

You know the question of States reorganisation.

It does not matter if a boundary of a State is here or there. I agree it is a question of sentiment which affects people. We respect the sentiments of the people but we cannot fight, we cannot raise this problem and burn Government buildings.

Government buildings are not my personal property or of any officer. It belongs to the country.

This is the new way – this attempt to destroy the country's property!

What is our Lok Sabha? Representatives of the whole of India come here.

They are the pride of the country.

Their decisions are the law of the country which not only the inhabitants of India but the world has to accept as India's decisions.

This is our Parliament and when a decision is accepted there, and there is opposition to it, the police is assaulted and Government buildings are destroyed.

Is this a sign of wisdom or courage? You should ponder over it.

I want that every party should consider it.

No doubt, there are different kinds of opinions in every big country.

They should be there. There are many different ways of going forward.

We want all avenues of discussion to remain open so that through discussions, we should be able to find the real way.

Discussion is one thing and violence is another.

If any party in India excites people to violence, it is not loyal to India. It is striking at the roots of India's independence.

Therefore, every party has to understand where they are leading the people.

Elections will take place after six or eight months.

Everybody has a right to express his opinion.

Every party has the right to win people to its views through discussion.

You have the right to choose another Government if you want.

But it should be through majority opinion, through the democratic way.

But if we quarrel and resort to violence, what has democracy to do with this?

We have to see whither India is going.

Have our old methods now become weak?

Every country, every nation, is moulded in its culture.

Which is our mould?

If we say that we follow the old mould, it is true because we have hundreds of years of tradition behind us which is flowing in our veins.

Nobody can take it away nor can we forget it.

But what are those who are neither of the old mould or of the new?

They are moulded in hooliganism.

Consider this. There are vast fields open before the people – the Five Year Plan.

There is a great challenge before us.

We have to devote all our strength to it, and not waste it in deciding whether some piece of land belongs to one province or the other.

This bit of territory does not go anywhere; it remains in India.

I want every Indian, especially our young men, to consider where they are going.

They should consider whether the Panch Sheel which we have given to the world should be followed in our country or not.

The meaning of Panch Sheel is co-existence – friendship and not violence.

So far as our Government is concerned, they are your servants.

Whenever you want, we can go away, but not by threats and intimidation.

The decisions of Parliament will be enforced because that is the law of the country.

By violence, you will realise, it is not possible to reach any decision.

The people must realise that the decisions of States reorganisation cannot be changed.

They are irrevocable.

What I say or the Government says can be changed, but when Parliament decides, that is not my decision, nor yours, but it is the will of India and everyone has to bow to it.

You made me Prime Minister but after all, I am a human being.

The decisions of the Lok Sabha will now come before the Rajya Sabha.

They are final.

There are ways of changing decisions but they cannot be changed by disturbances.

To believe that they can, is to deceive yourself.

This is against the interests of India.

Therefore, on this day, 15th August, 9 years after independence, we look at ourselves.

There is much talk of the work done during the last 9 years.

Many things have happened and the reputation of our country has gone up.

A few weeks ago, I came back after a month's tour.

Wherever I went, I saw the eyes of the world set toward India.

They are interested in seeing how we are forging ahead, how our prestige and strength increase.

When I came back, I saw how many things have to be done.

We have to look forward, we have moved towards the Five Year Plan and devoted all our energy so that we shape a new India, we banish poverty, ignorance and unemployment from India and build a new prosperous India.

These are difficult things but we have done difficult things and we will do them again.

Therefore, on this day, we should look back and we should also remember that this country has been moulded in the way of non-violence and cooperation.

We have been influenced by our old and new culture.

Therefore we have to remember this lesson and repeat it.

You should also remember that 2500 years ago, Gautama Buddha lived and brought lustre to this country.

His name shines not only in this country but in the world.

The things he said are of permanent value.

We should remember these things.

Great people were born in India like Buddha and Gandhiji who made this country.

There is something in India which has kept the nation alive through the centuries, given it strength.

These are matters of the spirit of our ancient culture.

Therefore we must not forget them.

We must remember our leaders, Gandhiji, Gautama Buddha and many others who made our country great.

Let us follow their path and with determination march forward.

Jai Hind.