Manmohan recalls Nehru's first I-Day speech

In his maiden Independence Day address, Singh recalled the words of the first Prime Minister on the anniversary of the country's independence.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday reminded the people of Jawaharlal Nehru's wise words that "India will be what we are; our thoughts and actions will shape her".

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In his maiden Independence Day address, Singh recalled the words of the first Prime Minister on the first anniversary of the country's independence.

"Panditji had then said that 'all of us talk of India and all of us demand many things from India. What do we give her in return?'

"India will ultimately give us what we give her of love and service and productive and creative work. India will be what we are, our thoughts and actions will shape her" Nehru had said, the Prime Minister recalled. "At that time I was a young student and looked upon the dawn of Independence as the opening of new vistas of opportunities to build an India of our dreams", he said.

In his 45-minute speech in Hindi, Singh wanted the people to remember these "wise words of Panditji as you go about doing your work, be on farms, in factories, in schools, in colleges, in government offices, in shops and in research laboratories".