New Delhi, August 15: After India relived last night the ageless moments of its emergence as a free nation 25 years ago, the Prime Minister to-day made a fervent appeal for fresh thinking to give a new meaning and content to the country’s freedom to make it real for the countless millions of its poor people. In her Independence Day speech to the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort, Mrs. Indira Gandhi exhorted her countrymen to create a united and strong India capable of pursuing its pioneering role as a beacon of peace and amity in this strife-torn world. As she unfurled the national flag from the central rampart, a 31-gun salute was fired by our artillery detachment while the vast sea of humanity that had assembled in front of the Red Fort gave a thunderous ovation. It brought back vividly the vibrant memories of the historic ceremony on the morning of August 15, 1947, when Mr. Nehru hoisted the Tri-colour over the Red Fort as a symbol of India’s Independence. The Prime Minister spoke eloquently of India’s commitment to freedom, secularism and socialism, and called upon the people to work hard and open up new vistas of activity for banishing poverty, illiteracy and superstition. She described India as a society in transition and stressed that there was no ready-made road or shortcut to progress except through hard work and discipline. It was quite understandable that the youth of the country was restless and clamouring for quicker results, but when a nation was entering from one era into another, some delays and difficulties were inevitable.
