The Hindu Business Line : Splendid idea

A SNIPPET from the pages of The Hindu dated July 11, 1955, reproduced in the paper's This Day That Age section, contains a gem of a suggestion which shows how the vision of the leaders of those days encompassed the nation, instead of being confined to the constituencies or the States from which they were elected, as is becoming increasingly evident these days.

Returning from his South Indian tour, the then President, Rajendra Prasad, "much impressed with the life of the people in the South", is reported to have proposed to the government the establishment of a Rashtrapathi Nivas in the South, where he could stay for about three months in a year to cultivate affinity with people there.

The need for carrying out this idea has become all the more compelling these days when the combined onslaught of divisive politics and worrisome social milieu is alienating people from those governing them. They find the Ministers, bureaucrats, elected representatives and any level of officialdom unapproachable and unsympathetic. If this trend continues, the sense of nationhood, so carefully nurtured by the earlier generation of politicians may be lost.

The proximity of the President as a national symbol, especially in the mould of Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, for instance, will do wonders to buoy the spirit of the people of different parts of the country. His presence can inspire people to channel their energies towards nation-building, bolstering their sense of unity and emotional integration, and securing their participation inall endeavours bearing on growth and development.

For the intended purposes to be served, it is not enough if the President stays only in one part of the country for three or four months. He should be accessible and visible for a reasonable period to the people of the States of the four (eastern, western, central and southern) zones outside Delhi. Only then will he be seen as the President of the whole of India, and not of Delhi alone. Ministers too should visit all the States as often as possible, and not just the ones in which they may have roots.

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