PRESIDENT ROBINSON’S REMARKS AT SABARMATI ASHRAM, INDIA, SATURDAY, 2 OCTOBER, 1993
PRESIDENT ROBINSON'S REMARKS AT SABARMATI ASHRAM, INDIA, SATURDAY, 2 OCTOBER, 1993
I am delighted to have the opportunity to come here on the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. When I was the age of you sitting here on the ground I knew all about Gandhi - he was somebody who inspired me as a young person. He inspired me when I was interested to become a lawyer; he inspired me when I was interested in human rights; he inspired me when I was interested in helping the situation of women. And now that I am President of Ireland I find that the values of Gandhi are so relevant to our world.
The values of truth, the values of non-violence, the values of cooperative working together, of understanding the materials of our earth and working well with them, the esteem of women, the whole approach that he led us with. The moral authority which he had, and which he still has, to inspire our world. So you can imagine, since I have for so long esteemed and admired Gandhdidi, that it is for me a very personal moment that I will never forget, to come here and to be in a place where he worked so well for so many years, from which he went on the famous salt march where he instilled the ideas of productive work, of the way of doing things.
And I would like to say on my own behalf as President of Ireland, and on behalf of the people of Ireland, how much we esteem and value the enormous contribution of Mahatma Gandhi, of Gandhiji, to the whole world and that it is the highlight of my visit here
to India that I might have the opportunity to come here on his birth anniversary and add my tribute and thank him for having inspired me so much during my own life, and having inspired so many people, for having shown the way for a practical application such as *SEWA that I visited here before coming along to the Ashram. So I must say I think Gandhi would be pleased at the way that his principles are still of such relevance and are being followed.
And I would say that India is a country that is greatly admired by my country, Ireland. We admire India as the largest democracy in the world and we admire you for your principles of compassion and tolerance and respect for each others religions and each others backgrounds and culture, and Gandhi was the inspiring force behind that. So I have been delighted to pay tribute to him.
*SEWA = Self Employed Womens' Association