Speech by Mr. R.K. Bhatia, High Commissioner of India at the Independence Day Reception in Pretoria (August 15, 2008) H.E. Dr. Z. Pallo Jordan, Minister of Arts and Culture, Government of South Africa; H.E. Shrimati Ambika Soni, Minister of Tourism and Culture, Government of India; H.E. Dr. Abdullah A. Alzubeidi, Ambassador of Libya and Dean of the Diplomatic Corps; Fellow Heads of Mission; Distinguished Guests; Ladies and Gentlemen. 1. On behalf of my team in the High Commission of India, Pretoria and Consulate General, Johannesburg as well as my wife, I welcome you all. We are very happy that our Minister of Tourism and Culture and her husband Ambassador U.C. Soni are amidst us today. I convey warm greetings to all Indian nationals and friends of India on this 62nd Independence Day of India. 2. Independence was won by the Indian people after a long and dark night of oppressive colonial rule that lasted nearly 200 years. Our struggle was a unique one because unique weapons of Satyagraha, a people’s movement fuelled by Truth and Non-violence, were employed under the command of a truly unique leader, Mahatma Gandhi. Significantly, as we all know, the Mahatma spent over two decades in South Africa. He left an indelible imprint of his thinking and action on this country, on India, on the relationship between the two, and indeed the entire world. 3. Since Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination in 1948, India has come a long way in the past six decades, marching forward on the path of peace, progress and prosperity, while confidently coping with many challenges. 4. Since long, democracy has taken deep roots in the Indian soil. India is “a pluralist country” which, as a foreign diplomat put it, “creates magic with democracy, rule of law and individual freedom.” We saw some of the magic and majesty of the world’s largest democracy in the recent debate on confidence vote in the Parliament. Our development model, with its stress on inclusiveness, has proved successful and increasingly effective. Our achievements in the field of space, nuclear energy, science and technology, IT, agriculture and the SME sector, to just name a few, are rated to be impressive. I need not go beyond this for I hope that our Minister of Tourism and Culture will share some of her perceptions about the contemporary India with you, especially the Incredible India campaign that she has masterminded so successfully. 5. It is heartening to note that India-South Africa relations have been blossoming in an exceptionally satisfactory manner. In 1995, Mr. Nelson Mandela called them “a unique partnership forged in the crucible of history, common cultural attributes and common struggle.” We now call it “a strategic partnership.” Recent years have witnessed a steady consolidation of the political, economic and other pillars of this relationship. It is rare for the Prime Minister of India to visit a country twice within one year. H.E. Dr. Manmohan Singh did so by visiting South Africa in October 2006 and October 2007. It is rare for President Mbeki to visit a country twice within a year. He is in the process of doing so in respect of India in 2008. A steady flow of ministerial, official, business and cultural delegations has contributed handsomely to further deepening of our dialogue and cooperation. 6. Trilateral and multilateral dimensions of our relationship have assumed increasingly greater importance. In particular, IBSA, a dialogue forum of India, Brazil and South Africa – the three largest democracies in three different continents – has come of age. Our collective endeavour is to forge practical cooperation of a multi-dimensional nature that benefits our peoples and also our regions. The world has been taking note of IBSA as it reaches the next significant milestone, namely the third Summit to be held in Delhi in October this year. 7. I am happy to announce that, in the coming weeks, we are organizing a multi-faceted cultural festival named “Shared Histories”, covering all the four major towns of South Africa. Details of the festival are available in a brochure which I urge each of you to carry with you at the end of the Reception. The festival promises to be an enchanting panorama of performing arts, popular entertainment literature, films, exhibitions and gastronomy. 8. We are also organizing a historic event tomorrow – ‘the 1908 Bonfire Gandhi Walk’ which starts from Museum Africa and ends at the Hamidia Mosque in Fordsburg. Details are available at the reception desk. Everyone is welcome to this event where H. E.Mr. Kgalema Motlanthe, Minister of Government Business and Deputy President ANC will be the Chief Guest. 9. Thus, as we celebrate our Independence Day today, we look to the future with joy and optimism. We take this opportunity to renew our commitment to continue playing our role as a mature and responsible democracy which contributes immensely to the cause of peace, security and development in the world today. As Her Excellency Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil, our President stated yesterday; “On our part, we will continue to carry into the global arena the message of harmony, pluralism, peaceful co-existence and oneness of the human race, concepts which are deeply rooted in our national ethos.” 10. May I now propose a toast to -   - continued well-being of the peoples of South Africa and India; - further growth of friendship between our two countries; and - good health and happiness of His Excellency President Thabo Mbeki.