Translation (English-Hindi) Exercise – 56

Today (30th January) is the death anniversary of our revered Bapu Mahatma Gandhiji. Just a few days ago, we celebrated Republic Day as well. The display of the nation's valour and strength, which we witnessed on Rajpath in Delhi filled everyone with pride and enthusiasm. One change you must have noticed is that from now on, the Republic Day functions will start from the 23rd of January, i.e. the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and will continue till the 30th of January i.e. Gandhiji's death anniversary. A digital sculpture of Netaji has been installed at India Gate which was welcomed by our countrymen with much joy and reverence.

During the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, the country is reestablishing its national symbols. The 'Amar Jawan Jyoti' near India Gate and the Jyoti lit at the 'National War Memorial' in the vicinity have been merged. Some former soldiers of the army have written to me saying that - "The 'Amar Jawan Jyoti' lit at the memorial is a symbol of the immortality of the martyrs".

In the midst of these events of Amrit Mahotsav, many important national awards were also given away in the country. One of them is the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Baal Puraskaar. The award awakens in our children the enthusiasm to bring glory to the country.

Padma awards have also just been announced. There are many recipients of Padma awards, about whom very few people know. These are the unsung heroes of our country, who have done extraordinary deeds in ordinary circumstances.

 More than one crore children have written to me through their 'Mann Ki Baat' post cards from different parts of the country and abroad. These postcards show how broad and wide is the vision of our new generation for the future of the country. I have also received 75 postcards from Croatia. Students of the School of Applied Arts and Design in Zagreb, Croatia have sent these 75 cards to the people of India and congratulated them on the Amrit Mahotsav. On behalf of all countrymen, I thank Croatia and her people.

India has been the sacred land of education and knowledge. We have not confined education to bookish knowledge. Rather, we see it as a holistic experience of life. The great personalities of our country have also had a deep relationship with education. Even today, India has many torchbearers in the field of education. The awareness about education is visible at every level in the society. For example, Taimmalji of Udumalpet block of Trippur district of Tamil Nadu who had accumulated some capital by selling coconut water, recently donated Rs. 1 lakh for the construction of infrastructure at the Chinnaveerampatti Panchayat Union Middle School in which her children study. Indeed, it takes a big heart, a sense of service, to do this. I have also come to know about a similar donation by an alumnus of IIT-BHU, Jai Chaudhary. He donated US$ 1 million, i.e. about Rs 7.5 crores to IITBHU Foundation.