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Ambassador's speech on Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam

Posted on: March 10, 2022 | Back | Print

Namaste,

H.E. Mrs. Lalatiana Andriatongarivo Rakotondrazafy, Hon’ble Minister of Communication and Culture

Ambassadors and members of Diplomatic Corps, 
Ladies and Gentleman and my dear friends. 
I extend a warm welcome to all of you to the ceremony of unveiling the plaque of the Vasudhaiva Kutumbkam in the Embassy today.
I would like to express my special gratitude to H.E. Mrs. Lalatiana Andriatongarivo Rakotondrazafy, Hon’ble Minister of Communication and Culture for taking time out of her busy schedule and gracing the occasion with her presence. 
As we unveil the plaque today, I would like to highlight the ideal of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, one of the core philosophies of the Indian civilization. The concept of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam originates from Maha Upanishad. Vasudha means the earth, Eva means emphasizing and Kutumbakam means a family. It means that the whole Earth is one family. 

It is a philosophy that tries to foster an understanding that the whole creation is one family. It is a social philosophy emanating from a spiritual understanding that the whole creation is made of one life energy. 
Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam has been and continues to be invoked by Indian leaders on different occasions in different contexts. Hon’ble Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi while speaking at the World Culture Festival in March 2016 said-- "Indian culture is very rich and has inculcated in each one of us great values, we are the people who have come from Aham Brahmasmi (I’m Almighty Brahma) to Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the whole Earth is a family), we are the people who have come from Upanishads (philosophical texts) to Upgrah (Satellite).” 
Former External Affairs Minister of India Late Smt. Sushma Swaraj had also used Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam in her speech at the UNGA on September 24, 2017: "We truly believe that the world is one family and we hope that every member of this family deserves that elixir of life, happiness."
In his address at the High Level meeting of UNGA to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations in September 2020, Hon'ble Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi said: "The ideals on which the United Nations was founded are quite similar to that of India and not different from its own fundamental philosophy. The words Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, the whole world is a family, have often reverberated in this hall of the United Nations. We treat the whole world as one family. It is part of our culture, character and thinking."
Speaking at the Raisina Dialogue in April 2021, the External Affairs Minister of India Dr. S. Jaishankar expounded on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s concept of Vasudhaiva Kutumbaka to explain India’s view of the world and said:
“Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam is an outlook... Now, when I say it's an outlook, it means both that the world is important to us and also that we are important to the world. And if you look today, it isn't just a question of our saying ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, we actually mean what we say, and we have a practical way of demonstrating it.”

In the tumultuous years ravaged by a health crisis caused by Covid-19, this principle took its most profound shape in the “Vaccine Maitri” campaign, spearheaded by India’s Ministry of External Affairs under which India gifted and supplied Covid-19 vaccines to 98 countries till Feb 2022.
As India celebrates Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, the idea of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam may find resonance among the nations and people all across the world. Africa’s philosophy of Ubuntu, which means ‘I am because we are’, also highlights the inherent interdependence of our existence.  Malagasy word Fihavanana encompasses the concept of kinship, friendship, goodwill between beings, both physical and spiritual. It comes from the belief that we are all one blood and that how we treat others will eventually be reflected back to us; and that we should be proactive about goodwill for the good of the world.
At the root of Vasudhaiva is Vasudha, our planet earth, and therefore, an extension of the concept of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam highlights India's concerns for the environment and about the whole planet. I would like to draw your attention that this Embassy is completely solar powered and India is also proud to be a founder of International Solar Alliance and to be among a very few select countries which have not only met their commitments under Paris Agreement but also for exceeded it. India’s installed renewable energy capacity exceed 160 GW out of which 50 GW comes from solar.
I believe the philosophy of Vasudhaiva  Kutumbakam can help countries to commit them to adhere to sustainable development, prevent biodiversity loss and work towards mitigating climate change and reduce environmental pollution, the three most pressing challenges our planet faces today. 

Once again, I would like to express my thanks to all of you for your presence.

Thank you.