Respected  Rashtrapatiji,  Respected  President  of  the  Czech Republic Dr.  Vaclav  Havel,  Respected  Prime  Minister Shri P.V.  Narasimha Rao, Smt. Sonia  Gandhi,  Distinguished Members of the Jury of Indira Gandhi Peace  Prize, Hon'ble  Ministers,  Excellencies,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen,  
 
The members of the Jury of the Indira Gandhi Prize and the  people  of  India  are  grateful  to  Dr.  Vaclav  Havel,  President  of  the  Czech  Republic, for  having agreed to accept the Indira Gandhi Prize and  for  being with us to-day to receive it personally.
 
Indira Gandhi  was  described  as  Freedom's  daughter.  She belonged to a family which devoted itself  to  the  cause  of  the  liberation  of  our  land  from  subjection and for freedom everywhere in the world. As  Prime  Minister  she strove for the consolidation of the  freedom and independence  of  our  country  through  the  social  and  economic  development  of our people and by  resisting all  manner  of  pressures  and  threats  from  outside.  She was one of the most  outspoken  international  leaders  who  emphasized that freedom  demanded  equity  among  nations and peace in the world.  Describing non-alignment as the biggest  peace  movement  in  the world she sought to strengthen it for ending the  cold war and bridging the dangerous  and  widening  gulf  between the North and the South.
 
We  are  to-day  honouring  a  great  son of  freedom.  By his courage, his integrity, the clarity  of  his  vision,  his  uncompromising opposition to tyranny,  the power of his words, and his sacrifices for the cause  of the human spirit, Dr. Havel  has  won  the  world's  administration and gratitude.
 
He  is  first and foremost a writer.  Somewhere  he  has  spoken  of  "the mysterious power of  words in human history" and said that  words  can  prove  mightier than military weapons and more explosive than a  train of  dynamite.  I would enlarge the metaphor, and  say that some words are seeds which great writers  plant  in the minds of people and which  grow  into  indestructible trees of hope.  No matter how  often  the  cruel woodsman cuts it down, it grows again, putting out  green leaves  of  hope.  That is why totalitarian states  have always dreaded the thinker and the writer.  That is  how we can explain the paradox that some of the greatest  literature in history has been produced in the shadow of  tyranny.  We have in our midst to-day a great writer and  thinker who had  seen  the  vision  of  freedom  in  the  darkness  of  oppression  and  given  expression  to  it  without fear making millions of his  people  take  heart  from his impassioned faith and glowing words.
 
It is  as a playwright that Dr.  Havel first  made his mark.  He has also been one of the main  actors  in the drama of the resurgence of freedom.  In his plays  and  his influential essays he proclaimed the message of  human freedom and held that no nation had the  right  to  lord  it  over  another; that no group of people had the  right to monopolise power; that the mind of  man  should  not  allow  itself  to  be  enslaved in the name of "any  ideology,  system,  apparat, bureaucracy, artificial  language,  political  slogan,  consumerism, advertising,  technology or cliche; for all these are  blood  brothers  of totalitarianism."
 
Dr.  Vaclav  Havel  in  one  of  his  famous  essays had analysed how  a  people  can  resist  a  totalitarian system, and called upon  his  fellowmen  to  realise "the  power  of  the  powerless".  In  our own  country, Mahatma Gandhi had harnessed the power  of  the  powerless in  a  non-violent revolution.  The philosophy  and  the  technique of non-violent mass struggle  propounded  by Gandhiji have had its impact in different  forms and in varying degrees in many parts of the  world  for the liberation of oppressed peoples.  Czechoslovakia  carried out a wholly bloodless revolution in 1989 to end  decades of violence  and  suppression.  Dr.  Havel has  described it as a "gentle revolution".
 
Gentleness combined with firmness  in  faith  has been  his  guiding  star.  In one of his essays he  describes how as a boy walking in a  field  he  saw  the  smoke-stacks  of a factory and felt revulsion at the way  in which humans were soiling the heavens.  Ever since he  has been pointing out that man must  recognise  that  he  cannot  live  outside nature and must stop enslaving the  natural world. 

He has warned against  the  uncontrolled  glorification  of  science and technology and has spoken  against people being reduced to production units, and to  nuts and bolts of some monstrously huge machine.  He  is  against the politics that is a mere technique of gaining  and  holding  power  instead  of growing from the heart.  "Let us teach ourselves  and  others",  he  said,  "that  politics  can  be  not  only  an  art  of  the possible,  especially  if  this  means  an  art  of speculations,  calculations,  intrigues,  secret  deals  and  pragmatic  manoeuvering, but that it can even  be  an  art  of  the  impossible,  namely the art to improve ourselves and the  world."
 
I should  like  to  recall  here  the  words  President  Havel  said  after  "the  silent revolution".  "The critical  choice  for  the  Czech  people  was  not  between  socialism  and  capitalism, not between poverty  and wealth, but between truth  and  its  denial."  These  words  are  applicable not only to the Czech Republic in  the post-cold war era but to the entire world.  Though  the  East-West  confrontation has ended, the North-South  disparities remain and cry out to be rectified.  What we  need is a new world order where the voice of the weak is  heard.  Years ago Poet Rabindranath Tagore had cautioned  that the weak could be to the strong what quicksands are  to the elephant.  History has  demonstrated  this  truth  again and again.  You, Mr.  President, who has talked of  "the  power of the powerless" has to-day proclaimed this  truth to the world.  Your ideas and your  words  find  a  sympathetic  chord  in the minds and hearts of people in  this land of the Buddha and Gandhi, Asoka  and  Nehru. 
 
We  welcome  you  as  a great citizen of the  Czech nation.  May I add that the manner  in  which  you  have  managed  a transition of fundamental nature from a  totalitarian  economic  and  political system to a  pluralist and  open  and  democratic  system  in  your  country, through peaceful  and  gentle  methods,  is  of  significance for  several others parts of the world.  We  salute you, President Vaclav Havel as a great citizen of  the Czech nation, a great citizen of Europe and a  great  citizen of  the  world.  In a world where economics have  emerged as the dominant force and the callous cash nexus  as the binding factor for the  human  family,  you  have  introduced into politics a moral and spiritual dimension  of vital importance.  The Indira Gandhi Prize is a token  of  the Indian people's appreciation of your  transcendental humanity, courage and dedication.

Thank you