Pranab Mukherjee Farewell Speech Highlights: 'Soul Of India In Pluralism, Tolerance'

New Delhi: Pranab Mukherjee, in his last address to the nation as the President of India, said that the "soul of India resides in pluralism and tolerance." He thanked the citizens for their trust and confidence in him. "For the past fifty years of my public life my sacred text has been the Constitution of India. My temple has been the Parliament of India and my passion has been the service of the people of India," the 81-year-old leader said. Ending his speech, he added that tomorrow when he speaks to the people, it will be as any other citizen of the country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also lauded the President saying, "Under President Pranab Mukherjee, Rashtrapati Bhavan became a 'Lok Bhavan'." Pranab Mukherjee's term ends tomorrow with Ram Nath Kovind taking oath as the 14th President of India.

Here are the highlights of President Pranab Mukherjee's speech:

• I am overwhelmed by a deep sense of gratitude for the people of India for the trust and confidence they reposed in me.
• I have received much more from the country than I have given; for that, I will remain ever indebted to people of India.
• For development to be real, the poorest of the land must feel that they are a part of the nation's narrative.
• 5 years ago, when I took the oath of office of President, I promised to preserve, protect & defend our Constitution.
• Each day of these five years, I was conscious of my responsibility.
• How successful I was in discharging my responsibilities will be judged, over time, by the critical lens of history.
• For the past fifty years of my public life my sacred text has been the Constitution of India.
• My temple has been the Parliament of India and my passion has been the service of the people of India.
• The soul of India resides in pluralism and tolerance.
• Plurality of our society has come about through assimilation of ideas over centuries.
• The multiplicity in culture, faith and language is what makes India special.
• We derive our strength from tolerance; it has been part of our collective consciousness for centuries.
• There are divergent strands in public discourse; we may argue, we may agree or we may not agree.
• But we cannot deny the essential prevalence of multiplicity of opinion.
• Otherwise, a fundamental character of our thought process will wither away.
• The capacity for compassion and empathy is the true foundation of our civilization.
• We must free our public discourse from all forms of violence, physical as well as verbal.
• Only a non-violent society can ensure the participation of all sections of the people in the democratic process.
• Power of non-violence has to be resurrected to build a compassionate and caring society.
• As I had said on assuming office of the President, education is the alchemy that can take India to its next golden age.
• A reordering of society is possible through the transformative power of education.
• Our universities should not be a place for rote-memorizing but an assembly of inquisitive minds.
• Creative thinking, innovation and scientific temper have to be promoted in our institutions of higher learning.
• For us, creation of an inclusive society has to be an article of faith.
• We must empower the poorest of the poor and ensure that the fruits of our policies reach the last person in the line.
• Eradication of poverty would provide a strong boost to happiness.
• Social inclusion would ensure access to the fruits of progress to all.
• During my five years in Rashtrapati Bhavan, we tried to build a humane and happy township.
• We extended our experience to a few villages in the neighbourhood.
• When I speak to you tomorrow, it will be as a citizen- a pilgrim like all of you in India's onward march towards glory.