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International International
India the world’s biggest democracy
Interview with His Excellency
Mr. Indra Mani PANDEY
Your Excellency, could you tell us a little India has commenced 75 weeks long
Photos and edit : Sanjay Acharya so that you ended up in Geneva? independence, which will culminate in a
about yourself and how your career evolved celebration of the 75 anniversary of its
th
I joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1990. grand celebration on 15 August 2022. What
After my training, my first posting abroad was is the significance of this celebration and
in Cairo in January 1992, where my primary how do you assess the achievements of India
task was to study Arabic. In my diplomatic since its independence?
service of over 30 years, I have served at Yes, we have commenced, since 12 March
Indian–– Missions in Damascus, Islamabad 2021, 75-weeks long celebration of the 75
th
and Kabul. Later, I served as Consul Anniversary of India’s independence. It will
General in Guangzhou (China), as Deputy be our endeavour to highlight key facets of
Ambassador in Paris and as Ambassador in India@75, including various aspects of Indian
Muscat, the beautiful capital of the Sultanate civilization, our diverse society and unique
of Oman. This is my second assignment cultural traditions, our democratic polity and
in Geneva; I was posted in Geneva earlier the strides that we have made in development,
from September 2003 to December 2006 including in science and technology.
as Counsellor (Disarmament) and served
as India’s delegate to the Conference on In the past seven decades, India has emerged as
Disarmament. the world’s largest democracy; we have nurtured
political inclusion and empowerment through
You have a long and impressive career. Is our vibrant and participative democracy. We
there any particular place you served that is have succeeded in building institutions, which
close to your heart? have sustained our democratic polity. We have
Thanks! It certainly has been a long career. All taken democracy to the grassroots through
the places that I have been posted to presented our local self-governance institutions at the
unique challenges and opportunities and were village, block and district levels.
great learning and enriching experiences.
However, I always remember very fondly my India has also been successful in achieving
assignment in Kabul. Though it presented very inclusive and sustainable development. We have
unique challenges, including the perception emerged as the third largest economy of the
of threat to personal security, I feel happy world on purchasing power parity basis. In the
that I was able to contribute, in my own small aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic we set the
way, in the reconstruction and rebuilding of goal of building a self-reliant India, a country
Afghanistan, which made a direct and tangible that will be engaged with the world more than
contribution to the well-being of the Afghan ever through trade and investments and will
people. contribute to global growth and development.
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India’s achievements should be assessed in the As you are aware, India is a multi-ethnic,
time of our independence due to two centuries country. It is home to almost all religions of the
light of the challenges, which we faced at the multi-religious, multilingual and multicultural
of subjugation and colonial exploitation, and world, and secularism has been a fundamental
the challenges that we have been facing since tenet of India’s Constitution and its democratic
due to our geo-strategic environment, the Cold polity. Equal respect for all religions has been
War and contemporary global challenges, such an article of faith for Indian civilization and
as climate change and terrorism.
society. The people of India are entitled to
freedom of conscience and enjoy the right to
basic human rights as fundamental rights, subject only to public order, morality, health
including the right to religious freedom and and other such provisions as laid down in the
The Indian Constitution has enshrined freely profess, practice and propagate religion,
education. Would you say that India was Constitution. They have the right to conserve
ahead of its time? their distinct language, script or culture. The
The makers of India’s Constitution were fact that the number of the followers of various
visionaries who were influenced by the ideals religions in India has continued to grow since
that inspired India’s struggle for freedom from independence is, in itself, a testimony that
colonial rule. They were also aware of the the people of India have been enjoying the
principal elements of human rights set out in freedom of religion or belief guaranteed under
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. the Indian constitution. Our Constitution has
Civil and political rights as well as economic, served us well, as reflected in the success of
social and cultural rights were enshrined in our democratic and inclusive polity.
our Constitution. There are several identical
features between the fundamental rights India is currently a member of the United
enshrined in India’s Constitution and the Nations Security Council. However, India,
Universal Declaration of Human Rights. For has also been seeking a permanent seat
instance, key human rights, such as equality at the Council. How does India’s current
before law, non-discrimination on grounds of (short-term) membership affect this effort,
religion, race and sex, freedom of speech and and why is it so important for India to be a
expression, right to life and liberty and judicial permanent member?
remedy against violation of rights have all been The UN has been in existence for over 75 years
provided for in the Indian Constitution. now. However, the structure of the UN Security
Council is a classic example of the reluctance
How has the Indian Constitution borne the to reform the architecture of a UN body that
test of time, particularly in its guarantee of is reflective of an outdated geopolitical, post-
religious freedom? war construct of the 1940s. When the Security
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