India can never allow others to have a veto on its choices and it would do whatever was right in the national interest and for the global good "without being intimidated to conform", External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday.
"Independence should never be confused with neutrality. We will do whatever is right in our national interest and for the global good without being intimidated to conform. Bharat can never permit others to have a veto on its choices," he said in a video message for a function in Mumbai.
He also said that India had been "schooled too long to visualise progress and modernity as a rejection of our heritage and traditions".
The External Affairs Minister underlined that technology and tradition must march together in the age of globalisation. He also said that when India was etched more deeply in global consciousness, its repercussions were truly profound.
"Bharat will inevitably progress, but it must do so without losing its Bharatiyata (Indianness). Only then can we truly emerge as a leading power in a multipolar world," he added.
Jaishankar spoke for the Mumbai event where he was conferred the 27th SIES Sri Chandrasekarendra Saraswati National Eminence Award. The awards are given in four fields - public leadership, community leadership, human endeavor, science and technology, and social leadership – with primacy on spiritualism. The awards are named after the late 68th seer of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam Sri Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi.
Jaishankar said India was an exceptional nation as it was a civilisation state. "Such a country will only exercise influence when it fully leverages its cultural strengths in the global arena," he said.
"To that it is essential that we ourselves, the younger generation, are fully aware of the value and significance of our heritage. This can be articulated at various levels, but most importantly it should have an impact at the societal level," he added.
The External Affairs Minister said India had shown to everyone in the last decade that it had the capabilities, confidence and the commitment to advance development across board fronts.
Asserting that India was poised today at a critical juncture, he said, "It has shown that the age-old problems of poverty, discrimination and lack of opportunities can indeed be addressed. On the global stage, it has established itself as an independent power, but one committed to global good, especially the well-being of the global south."
"At the same time, however, the constraints and limitations that have long been our bane still remain in place. There are viewpoints and ideologies which are more pessimistic and even denigrating of ourselves," he added.
He further said that India was rediscovering itself and finding its own persona again as the "deepening of democracy had thrown up more authentic voices". (IT with inputs from PTI)
