PM’s address during Farewell of Rajya Sabha Members

Respected Chairman, You have set a timeline for the speakers. I will try to express my feelings by staying within that limit. Well, we have a farewell ceremony. Some of our colleagues are taking leave but as it is said in Bengali, ‘Aami Aashchi’, or in Gujarati it is said, ‘Aaujo’ or ‘come again’. Although it is ‘bye-bye’, we say ‘come again’. So in a way, we would like you to come again. Just as the Chairman has said that they have so much experience; some have served for five terms, four terms, or three terms. That is, these great personalities have a huge bundle of experience. And sometimes experience is more powerful than knowledge. Academic knowledge sometimes has many limitations; it is useful in seminars, but whatever is gained from experience can provide simple solutions to solve problems. Mistakes are minimized if experience is mixed with novelty. And in this sense experience has a great significance of its own. And when such experienced colleagues leave the House, then there is a great loss to the House and to the nation. And, there might be a void in certain decisions that would be taken for the future generations. Hence, a lot of things will be said for the experienced ones when they leave. But when the experienced members are no longer there, then the responsibility of those who are there in the House increases a little more. The present members need to carry forward the legacy of the experienced members who are leaving the House. And when they carry forward the legacy, the House never feels that it is lacking its strength. And let us take a resolve to pick the best out of the lessons learnt from those taking leave today and to definitely use this sacred place (the House) in carrying that forward so that it becomes highly beneficial to the prosperity of the country. We have spent a long time within these four walls. The emotions, reflections, expressions, pain and ecstasy of every corner of India keeps flowing here. And we also keep experiencing that flow. But sometimes we might think that we have contributed a lot to the House; it is very true. But at the same time this House too has contributed a lot in our lives. We leave by contributing something to the House but we take with us even more because we experience a lot of things that come out of the many ups and downs, from the diverse social systems of India every single day in the House. And today that’s why I would say that even though we are leaving the House, let us take this experience in all the four directions for the best interest of the nation; Let our resolution be to carry forward everything gained within these four walls in all the four directions. And we should also try to document all the important things we have contributed to the House during our tenure, which have given shape and direction to the country, so that at some point they will be useful as a reference for the coming generations. We might be sitting on any side of the House, here or there, but each in his own way must have contributed something which must have played a major role in giving direction to the country. If we document this, I believe we will have such a valuable treasure which can be of use to the future generations. That is, it can be used in the interest of an institutionalized system. Similarly, we are celebrating ”Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’. It has been 75 years of Independence. The great personalities from our country have contributed a lot to the nation. Now it is our responsibility to give and contribute. As you are taking leave you will have a little more time with you and there will not be any time limit set by the Chairman. So, seeking the same spirit, in line with the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’, can you inspire the coming generations by going to a bigger platform with a very open mind and making your contribution there as well? I believe the nation will gain a lot of strength and benefit. I am not mentioning the names of all the colleagues individually. The Chairman has said that I should do that in person. So, I will definitely try to meet you personally and unwind my mind with you. I definitely notice the good qualities in you! Once again I wish you all the very best! Thank you!