11st August 2023, Mumbai: Infosys co-founder and chairman emeritus Narayana Murthy on Thursday said a democracy works best and prosper in an environment of pluralism where every citizen has the freedom to practise his/her own beliefs and faith without imposing it on others.
“President Franklin D Roosevelt defined a true democracy as having four freedoms – freedom of expression; freedom of faith; freedom from fear; and freedom from want,” he said.
Murthy, who was addressing the convocation of Techno India University in Kolkata, pointed out that if a mindset of highlighting commonalities of various beliefs can be created, democracy in India will prosper.
“Democracy in India will prosper only if we create a mindset that highlights the commonality of our beliefs rather than our differences. Making India the best country in the world requires the best from every one of you,” he said.
He said In a democracy, one has the freedom to express opinions responsibly, courteously and fearlessly, and where one also has the freedom to seek a better quality of life.
Civil liberties and Personal rights
“This translates to the responsibility to create a just society, which embraces the fundamental principle to provide the strongest set of civil liberties and personal rights to everyone, and to tolerate new economic inequalities only if such inequalities ameliorate the conditions of the poor citizens,” he added.
While highlighting some of the problems prevailing in the country, Murthy said that India, despite the laudable economic progress, has unresolved problems in poverty, population, potable water and clean air.
Most Urgent need is Population Control.
“India has not put population control on the front burner. The most urgent need at the moment is to reduce our population growth rate. While certain parts of India have made decent progress in reducing it, certain other parts have not paid sufficient attention to this important issue,” he added.
Exhorting the graduating students, Murthy concluded that a professional is one who lives by the rules of the profession and its ethics.
Mr. Murthy Felicitation
Murthy was felicitated by Techno India University Chancellor Prof Dr Goutam Roychowdhury and Co-Chancellor Prof Manoshi Roychowdhury. The university also conferred the Doctor of Letters degree on industrialist Ratan Tata in absentia.
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