This conference is just one of the numerous events being organised by people, organisations, governments and institutions around the world to mark this event. It is a matter of importance for every Indian that the 50th anniversary of Indian independence will not pass without being marked - although the content of how the event is marked will be widely different.

South Asia is home to one-fifth of the world's population, although the vast majority of these people remain severely marginalised from present day world affairs. The region also remains at a very low level of social and economic development. As we look ahead to the 21st century, it is apparent that the people of India must carry out those actions that will liberate them from poverty and deprivation and that will usher in an era of peace and prosperity.

This may seem like a tall order. But in this century itself, we have seen momentous changes on the world-scale. The main change being that people have put social revolution on the agenda and have carried it out in many countries, ending once and for all the legacy of the past centuries when the aristocracy and merchant classes occupied the centre-stage of history. It can be said with certainty that the 20th century will be remembered as the time when ordinary people - workers, peasants, students, women, minorities, and youth - began to occupy the centre-stage of history.

We are still in the midst of that stage of history, and the people of India are yet to play their part in it. This refers to the unfinished agenda of the struggle for independence attained fifty years ago. Fifty years later, all Indians are duty-bound to examine whether the possibilities engendered in the events of 1947 have been exhausted, and whether a new "ground-zero" has been reached from where we must go into the future. It is in the establishment of this new "zero" that all Indians will have the opportunity to affirm themselves and to affirm India.

The curse of history that has kept the overwhelming majority of Indians in the margins of the economic and political developments is a very heavy burden on the peoples of Indian origin everywhere. It is matter of great satisfaction that all Indians, young and old, inside or outside India, are eager to mark this occasion of the 50th anniversary, and to march into the future with optimism.

This optimism comes not so much from all that has been accomplished, but more from what can be accomplished in the future. What has been accomplished is unfolding in its most decadent stage in the streets of India: the crisis-ridden political and economic system where arrangements of convenience to rob the state treasury have become the norm; where spilling the blood of the Indian people at the hands of security forces has become the norm; where the humiliation of people for their religion, caste, or gender has become the norm.

The people of India and their welfare did not find their place in the centre-stage of events in 1947 - it is "things" that occupied the centre-stage. The production of goods instead of the welfare of the peoples occupied the center-stage. The rule of law to defend these goods took the centre-stage and the rights of people were sacrificed in favour of granting privileges to those who controlled those goods.

Today, there is optimism because people feel that they can turn the situation around, they can occupy the centre-stage of India. The commemoration of this 50th anniversary is an integral part of that optimism. This optimism is a reflection of the end of an era when people are mere spectators, watching the ruling elites parade their antics. This 50th anniversary finds these elites clueless, unable to set a direction for the future. People find it unconvincing to join with these clowns in power, to cheer for what is mediocre and pathetic.

Instead, they are taking their own initiatives, small and big; they are inspired by their own convictions; and they are marking this occasion in their own way. Be it is a dinner, a parade, a mushaira, a publication, a recital or a conference. They are not guided by a standard that has been imposed by those in power. In fact, those in power do not have a standard themselves on this occasion. Under these circumstances, I am of the firm opinion that this conference and all other events surrounding this golden jubilee are of great significance for the people to take a step towards their affirmation.

Today's conference has been organised by the Association of Indian Progressive Study Groups (AIPSG) to make an assessment of where we stand today, and where we must go into the future. Far from being a seminar on Indian history, this conference to mark the 50th anniversary of a historical event - Independence and Partition - will be a rendering of the tendencies engendered in the present. It will be an analysis of what is, what has been and what will be, all linked together in an unbroken chain. And when I speak of an unbroken chain, it is not just the chain of the past, the present and the future, but it is the unbroken chain of the Indian peoples.

In this conference you will see a vision for all the people of India, not just those who will be "consumers" in the liberalised Indian economy, or those who will be "secularists" under a United Front government and so on. You will see the elaboration of a vision for rights consistent with the demands of our times and not as a tactic to eke out some privileges by doing the dirty work for the oppressors and plunderers of our land.

You will see a vision that begins from the ground realities of the day - where the diversity of India has been turned into divisions and where the sensibilities of everyone who prides in the motto "unity in diversity" is offended by the reality of "weakness in division". This is a vision that emerges from the heart of today's society: from the grass-roots where the yearning for freedom, peace and prosperity has never been higher; from the age-old wisdom of the Indian people that we are one family - Vasudhaiba Kutumbakam; from a grasp of what the world has given rise to in the form of ideas and systems and from what is possible within present world developments.

I call upon all of you to participate in this conference and add your voices and visions. We will set the agenda for the next fifty years of India. Together, I am certain that when we are there to welcome the year 2047, our banner will say, WE DID IT!