New Delhi: Expressing concern over the recent incidents of communal clashes, President Pranab Mukherjee Friday said the country has not learnt lessons from the history and same "tragic mistakes" are being repeated.
"Why is it that we do not learn the lessons from our own history but keep repeating the same tragic mistakes?" he said after presenting the national communal harmony awards.
Mukherjee said Constitution lays down the fundamental duty of every citizen to promote harmony and spirit of common brotherhood among all the people transcending religious, linguistic and regional or sectional diversities.
"However, despite this sacred mandate, despite the Directive Principles of State Policy and despite the safeguards that our laws provide, despite all the measures taken by our administrative machinery, why is it that communalism does not seem to go away from our society?
The President said none of country's institutions preaches hatred, no religion preaches discord and on the contrary, they prescribe that it is the moral duty of every individual and of society as a whole, to spread peace and amity.
"What can we do to uphold and implement this? How can we be more vigilant against negative forces and successfully thwart their nefarious designs?," he asked.
Mukherjee said the strength and resilience of Indian society lies in its plurality and diversity and this unique quality has not been imported from anywhere nor has it come into our society by accident - rather it has been consciously nurtured and nourished by the tolerance and wisdom of the Indian consciousness.
The President said, "These principles are at the very foundation of our secular fabric. And, although maintenance of social peace and harmony is a function of government, this responsibility cannot be delinked from the duties of each and every individual citizen".
Mukherjee said every citizen of the country must think about his or her personal contribution towards peace, harmony, amity and accord in one's respective spheres of activities.
The President said dialogue never fails to create a confluence of the streams of diverse thought, opinion and aspirations and it coalesces and synthesises the currents of vibrant cultures, religions and civilisations.
"It is, therefore, important to recognise and salute those among us who promote these methods and fight with courage against the forces of obscurantism, extremism and militarism," he said.
Mukherjee said eternal vigilance is a shield against those who harm the unity of the country, and the country must heed the words of Mahatma Gandhi who was pained by communal strife and observed "the lawlessness of communalism is a monster with many faces: it hurts all in the end, including those who are primarily responsible for it".
"These values must be inculcated from a very young age.
Gandhiji firmly believed that the key to the solution of the communal tangle lies in everyone following the best in his own religion and entertaining equal regard for the other religions and their followers," he said.
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