I have the privilege of giving this speech on “Unity is Strength”. It is said that “United we stand, divided we fall”.
Man is free but still he has to depend on others. One man cannot produce everything. He produces one thing and thousands of people produce other things for him. A teacher does teaching work. But who produces food and cloth and other things for him? It is an age of unity and co-operation. One cannot live without the help of others. Therefore, all men must work together. If they do not, every member of the society will become weak and poor. So, unity gives strength to every member of the society.
No home can be strong, happy and peaceful without unity. What will happen if everybody goes his own way? The family will break into pieces. One will not care for the other. They will not help each other in need. A divided house cannot face an enemy. A brother will cut the neck of his own brother. How horrible its result will be!
A society, too, cannot do without unity. Man is a social animal. He helps others, and others help him in turn. He has to depend upon his friends and neighbours. If they are united, the society will be strong. Even birds and animals show a wonderful sense of unity. Ants are very small. But when they unite, they form a strong army. You cannot break a bundle of sticks. But how easily you break them one by one!
Look at the history of India. The story of Prithviraj and Jaichand is known to everybody. They were brothers. But they lived like enemies. So, Jaichand helped the enemy of Prithviraj. What was the result? India lost her freedom. Rana Pratap, too, lost the battle of freedom in the same way. In those days, all the Indian kings fought among themselves. One did not help the other in case of attack. Therefore, they fell one after another. The history of India teaches us the lesson on the importance of unity.
Today we are firmly united. We differ from one another in many ways. But still we are all Indians. Our National Flag unites us all. We are ready to fight as a nation. The Hindus, the Muslims, the Sikhs, the Christians—all stood unitedly against, China and Pakistan. I believe that this is a new thing in the history of India. It is a great thing, indeed. But this unity is not enough. We have to work hard together in peace time as well.