Most honourable and most respected Minister, Mr. Navprabhat,
Honourable President of Doon Citizens Council,
Mr. M.M. Tayal, Honourable Mr. Goel,
Honourable DGP Madam, Mrs. Kanchan Chaudhary1, and
Honourable Mayor of Dehradun, Madam Sharmaji, and
All Dignitaries on the Dais.

My dear Friends!
My heartfelt Adorations to the Divinity in all of you!

First of all, I would like to express my deep thanks and gratitude to the Doon Citizens Council to give me such a wonderful Award and to give so much praise to me. I don't know where to go with so much praise, because I feel myself very much touched by the Indian culture, by the Indian society; I have completely become a part of it and therefore I am really greatly thankful that Doon Citizens Council has recognized the works, which we are doing there with great love and with the feeling, that we should do much, much more. For this I am really grateful and very thankful to you.

Dear Friends, today is a very special day for me, a special day because - first of all it is 25th December. It is the birthday of our Gurudev Paramahamsa Swami Omkarananda - (clapping) - and as Mr. Tayal said, it is also the birthday of Christ. Interesting is, that the function earlier time was scheduled for 27th November and then suddenly it was postponed to 25th. So, I regarded this as a very special thing, as God's wish, as has been rightly mentioned. Thank you, thank you very much.

To be very frank, this special award here, I feel if to anyone that credit would go, definitely not to me, but this credit would go to Swami Omkarananda, because I do not know where we would stand, if we would not have the guidance of our Gurudev, we do not know where to go, if we would not go in His direction, not implement His teachings. So, I feel that this award, which came to me, I rather prefer that this award - in the spirit and in the love - should be devoted to the holy feet of my Gurudev Swami Omkarananda.

In the year way back in 1975, when Gurudev Swami Omkarananda had sent me to India, I totally felt myself coming at home. Though I was born in Switzerland, but the day I could realize where I am, I never felt at home there. Switzerland is a very beautiful country, a very exciting country, but I never felt myself that it was the right place for me; and the very day, when Gurudev sent me to India in 1975, as a first visit, I was knowing, this is the country to whom I belong, this is the place which I like. I felt it was a true home-coming.

The Indian culture I regard as one of the finest cultures. For me the Indian culture is second to none. (Clapping) It is a culture which is, was and will always be. Sometimes I really feel pain, when I see, that the beautiful and high philosophy of the religious thinking of these greatest religious leaders, which India had, right from Adishankaracharya to so many of the greatest Saints and Sages, which have given tremendous impact to India and to the Indian culture, is slowly neglected and disregarded.

Sometimes it pains me, when people are looking one-sidedly towards the West, though I do understand, it has an attraction, it has an economical attraction, it has a financial attraction, it has different attractions. But at the same time I feel pain, when we know that India, with that high spirit, has such a tremendous beauty, a beauty in the field of spiritual development. It is now a great trend of the Western society, of many people of the Western society, to look towards India. In the Western society people have tried to a great extent to explore life to the maximum extent in all directions. But they could not find the true treasure of a real life in whatsoever facilities they had. So, now they are looking to the East, and if they are looking to the East, they look particularly to India, because they know, and many of them realize, the answer can be given only in India. And what India can bring here? It brings a true philosophy. Where in Europe the philosophy ends, I believe, in India the philosophy starts. And this philosophy and this great spiritual development, this great spiritual attitude, that reality in life, this is what makes India tremendously attractive, and it is very very essential, that we are emphasizing this specially for the young generation. Since now all these facilities like TV, Internet and so many dangerous things are entering into the hearts of the people, there is a great danger to divert the reality into certain actions, which will prove later on very very critical. And we have seen, that through the new trend of the generation, a lot of trouble is arising and I personally feel, we do have to emphasize more on that great spiritual awareness.

I think we should not forget what India has given to us, because to me it is a very very rare place. Wherever I went in the entire globe here, I really find nowhere that greatness and that spirit which India, which the Indian people and which the Indian culture can give. Besides that, the softness, the kindness, which very often is being misunderstood, is something so beautiful in our Indian people. I remember in Europe, when people were speaking about doctors in the hospital, so many people, Swiss people, German people, people from all European countries, they in fact prefer Indian doctors. When I asked them, 'What is the reason that you prefer the Indian doctors?' they were telling, 'There is some kindness, some warmth with the Indian doctors here.' And I myself have this experience. I personally feel Indian people are different, and I also feel it is a good Karma, a good luck, maybe derived from the past, to be born in this very beautiful country.

But once we were ourselves living in this country, we saw, that unfortunately a lot of things are being neglected here. And when we saw this, we wanted to change it. We would like to bring out this beautiful Essence of the Indian Culture, it should not be lost, it is too tremendous and too precious. If there is a question concerning the reality in life, this question can be specially answered here in India by the greatest Scholars, by the greatest Saints and Sages, by extraordinary people. And this is what I feel makes India very outstanding.

I do not believe so much whether political situations can change our system, but I believe that those persons, who truly feel this beautiful religion in their heart, they make a difference, whether they are in Government offices, whether they are in any kind of the administration, it makes them different. Therefore I feel we should try, that we should never loose our culture and that is the reason, why I mentioned in the very beginning, if people are turning towards the West, definitely it is good, we can take from the West the best, it is good when we can take their know-how and knowledge and all these things here. It is good, when we take it up for a better economy, for a better progressive life here. But at the same time, we should not forget that beautiful culture, that liberating culture, which India is presenting.

In many occasions I saw people, youngsters from India, leaving for the United States of America. It pains me when I hear them saying: 'No, we like to stay there, it is beautiful, we have all the facilities there.' All these facilities, and everybody of you knows it, all these facilities, they are 'dead', the moment they are born. We should not go away, when we are having in India such a marvellous place to live and progress.

Over and above, since India is a truly extraordinary country, I think we should really preserve it and specially we should take up the protection of the environment. A lot has to be done in respect of cleanliness and so many other things here, I shall not exaggerate, but truly anyone, who comes to see our Omkarananda Ashram, they say it's truly a clean and a very pure Ashram. We are teaching this also to the children, we are trying to do our best, because cleanliness is next to Godliness. So, everybody should take effort, whether it is in respect of all this cleaning up and other things. We all should be proud to be Indian and because, if we feel that we are Indians, then everybody is also responsible for India's welfare. Sometimes I really feel pain, when I see, that certain people condemn their country, blame their country, and every dirt is being put into the hands of the country, which I feel, is not correct here.

I think in the life of a person the foremost thing is, that we should look into ourselves. And here definitely also one has to emphasize on those great spiritual values, which are very very necessary. We too are trying to bring a great moral setup in our schools, because children, being very tender in heart, are very receptive and the values with which a child is being imparted remain throughout the whole life. So, it is there, where we should bring back the treasures, which all those great men of India have given us. We should not forget them. They are for me what holds India together and this is, to be very frank, what I strongly feel, will one day definitely make India the first place in the world. Spiritually it is the first place, and it will also grow in other fields, whether it is education, whether it is economical. But I am proud of India and I am proud of all of you and once more I would like to express my thanks and gratitude to all members of the Doon Citizens Council, who have given me this very beautiful award. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

___________________________
DGP = Director General of Police = Highest Police Officer in Uttaranchal
and the first Lady Officer of this high rank in the country.