‘ I feel myself partly a citizen of India’
17 Nov 2012 7:06 AM IST
‘I feel myself partly a citizen of India,’ Myanmar’s iconic pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi said on Friday during an emotional visit to Lady Shri Ram College (LSR), where she studied as an undergraduate in the 1960s. Suu Kyi visited her alma mater as part of her six-day visit to India.
Suu Kyi was greeted by LSR students who cheered for her as she walked down the gates of the college. Girls were holding posters that stated ‘More power to you’ and ‘Freedom from fear’ to show their support to Suu Kyi’s struggle for democracy in Myanmar. The cultural programmes organised for Suu Kyi’s benefit began with the music society of LSR singing a famous Myanmarese song that had been written for Suu Kyi and Tagore’s Ekla Chalo Re, depicting Suu Kyi’s solitude in her struggle and hardships.
‘Coming back to LSR is not just coming back home, it is coming back to a place where I know my aspirations have not been wrong. I have learnt that my faith in the oneness of human aspirations is justified. I’m coming to a place where I can feel that my hopes have not been in vain,’ she said later, addressing dignitaries, students, and faculty at the Ramakrishna Dalmia auditorium of the college.
In her speech Suu Kyi said that young people should interpret all their experiences in a positive manner because there is nothing that ages more than hate. Talking about the importance of principles in one’s life she said, ‘Politics is not easy but one should follow principles in politics. My message to the young people is that either you follow your principles or get out of poilitics unblemished before you break your own principles’.
Suu Kyi motivated the young girls – whom she called ‘my girls’ – to dream about impossible things but only if they were ready to work for them as there is no chance of succeeding without endeavour. ‘Today, I am not just meeting my past but I am also looking at the future’, she added.
Suu Kyi ended her speech by saying that her faith in Indian-Myanmarese friendship had been justified.
‘We do not want to be at the taking end all the time. We want to give as well, but for that we need your help now. I hope this bond strengthens day by day as we walk the last miles to democracy in Burma.’
Meenakshi Gopinath, principal of LSR, said, ‘The entire country celebrated Diwali on the 13th, but we celebrate our Diwali today with the homecoming of Suu Kyi. We have always prayed for her and felt her pain in her long endeavour for establishing democracy in Burma’. She also highlighted and praised Suu Kyi’s staunch belief in the principle of Ahimsa that helped her endure her long enforced solitude without retaliation.
‘Suu Kyi had to make difficult choices between her family and her country, and yet she chose her country. She is truly a harbinger of a new morning’, she added.
Arun Bharatram, chairman of the college was also present at the event and he recalled the days when Suu Kyi performed a spoof on Othello in the same auditorium, where she was sitting now. He praised the fighting spirit of Suu Kyi stating that LSR is synonymous to leadership with social responsibility and that Suu Kyi had exactly done that.
He also announced that the Centre for Conflict Transformation and Peace building in the College will be renamed as the Aung San Suu Kyi Centre for Peace in honour of the Noble Laureate.
Suu Kyi was felicitated by Arun Bharatram and Minister of State for Education, Shashi Tharoor. She was also presented with a donation for her upcoming school for Myanmarese students.
Congratulating Suu kyi on her success in uplifting the Myanmarese and establishing a democrary in Myanmar, Shashi Tharoor said, ‘Suu Kyi is one leader who wears a halo inspite of the cynical age we are living. She has attained freedom from anger and bitterness and she stood up for human rights when it was not safe to do so. Suu Kyi emerged unbowed in body, mind and spirit after her house arrest ended’.
Suu Kyi was deeply moved and overwhelmed by the warmth and love shown by LSR. Remembering her days in LSR she recollected the time when she learnt Gandhi’s Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram, which tied her to the Indian culture and tradition, making her feel that she was partly a citizen of India. She said that she did not have an intellectual but emotional bond with India. ‘It was an intelligent emotional bond because both the countries need each other,’ Suu Kyi said.
The students could not contain their joy of meeting Suu Kyi and were clapping and cheering enthusiastically for her. Sukriti, a third year English honours student, said, ‘We are all lucky that we saw a living legend. I was really inspired by Suu Kyi’s speech. It was a memorable experience’.
Suu Kyi graduated from LSR with a degree in Political Science in 1964. The college had been preparing for weeks to welcome its distinguished alumna and took this opportunity to felicitate the Nobel Laureate.
The ceremony ended in the traditional way by Suu Kyi planting a sapling in the college garden.
Suu Kyi was greeted by LSR students who cheered for her as she walked down the gates of the college. Girls were holding posters that stated ‘More power to you’ and ‘Freedom from fear’ to show their support to Suu Kyi’s struggle for democracy in Myanmar. The cultural programmes organised for Suu Kyi’s benefit began with the music society of LSR singing a famous Myanmarese song that had been written for Suu Kyi and Tagore’s Ekla Chalo Re, depicting Suu Kyi’s solitude in her struggle and hardships.
‘Coming back to LSR is not just coming back home, it is coming back to a place where I know my aspirations have not been wrong. I have learnt that my faith in the oneness of human aspirations is justified. I’m coming to a place where I can feel that my hopes have not been in vain,’ she said later, addressing dignitaries, students, and faculty at the Ramakrishna Dalmia auditorium of the college.
In her speech Suu Kyi said that young people should interpret all their experiences in a positive manner because there is nothing that ages more than hate. Talking about the importance of principles in one’s life she said, ‘Politics is not easy but one should follow principles in politics. My message to the young people is that either you follow your principles or get out of poilitics unblemished before you break your own principles’.
Suu Kyi motivated the young girls – whom she called ‘my girls’ – to dream about impossible things but only if they were ready to work for them as there is no chance of succeeding without endeavour. ‘Today, I am not just meeting my past but I am also looking at the future’, she added.
Suu Kyi ended her speech by saying that her faith in Indian-Myanmarese friendship had been justified.
‘We do not want to be at the taking end all the time. We want to give as well, but for that we need your help now. I hope this bond strengthens day by day as we walk the last miles to democracy in Burma.’
Meenakshi Gopinath, principal of LSR, said, ‘The entire country celebrated Diwali on the 13th, but we celebrate our Diwali today with the homecoming of Suu Kyi. We have always prayed for her and felt her pain in her long endeavour for establishing democracy in Burma’. She also highlighted and praised Suu Kyi’s staunch belief in the principle of Ahimsa that helped her endure her long enforced solitude without retaliation.
‘Suu Kyi had to make difficult choices between her family and her country, and yet she chose her country. She is truly a harbinger of a new morning’, she added.
Arun Bharatram, chairman of the college was also present at the event and he recalled the days when Suu Kyi performed a spoof on Othello in the same auditorium, where she was sitting now. He praised the fighting spirit of Suu Kyi stating that LSR is synonymous to leadership with social responsibility and that Suu Kyi had exactly done that.
He also announced that the Centre for Conflict Transformation and Peace building in the College will be renamed as the Aung San Suu Kyi Centre for Peace in honour of the Noble Laureate.
Suu Kyi was felicitated by Arun Bharatram and Minister of State for Education, Shashi Tharoor. She was also presented with a donation for her upcoming school for Myanmarese students.
Congratulating Suu kyi on her success in uplifting the Myanmarese and establishing a democrary in Myanmar, Shashi Tharoor said, ‘Suu Kyi is one leader who wears a halo inspite of the cynical age we are living. She has attained freedom from anger and bitterness and she stood up for human rights when it was not safe to do so. Suu Kyi emerged unbowed in body, mind and spirit after her house arrest ended’.
Suu Kyi was deeply moved and overwhelmed by the warmth and love shown by LSR. Remembering her days in LSR she recollected the time when she learnt Gandhi’s Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram, which tied her to the Indian culture and tradition, making her feel that she was partly a citizen of India. She said that she did not have an intellectual but emotional bond with India. ‘It was an intelligent emotional bond because both the countries need each other,’ Suu Kyi said.
The students could not contain their joy of meeting Suu Kyi and were clapping and cheering enthusiastically for her. Sukriti, a third year English honours student, said, ‘We are all lucky that we saw a living legend. I was really inspired by Suu Kyi’s speech. It was a memorable experience’.
Suu Kyi graduated from LSR with a degree in Political Science in 1964. The college had been preparing for weeks to welcome its distinguished alumna and took this opportunity to felicitate the Nobel Laureate.
The ceremony ended in the traditional way by Suu Kyi planting a sapling in the college garden.
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