Do you know we have a National Pledge?  

‘India is my country and all Indians are my brothers and sisters. I love my country and I am proud of its rich and varied heritage. I shall always strive to be worthy of it. I shall give respect to my parents, teachers and elders and treat everyone with courtesy. To my country and my people, I pledge my devotion. In their well-being and prosperity alone, lies my happiness.’  

Does the above text sound familiar? This is the national pledge of India, recited usually in public gathering on the Independence and Republic Days, and in many school assemblies all over the country. Many school text books on civics, ethics and moral duties have this pledge printed on the first page to cultivate a nationalistic spirit among children. But from where did we get the pledge? 

Who wrote the national pledge? 
The author of the pledge was a naturopathy doctor and government servant who also wrote in his mother tongue, Telugu. Pydimarri Venkata Subba Rao was the District Treasury Officer of Visakhapatnam District in 1962. That is when he wrote the pledge in Telugu and presented it to senior leader Tenneti Viswanadam. Rao’s idea was to have students recite it, so that they feel inspired and responsible about their country.   

How did the national pledge become popular?   
Rao’s seniors liked the idea. Accordingly, it was first read out in a school in Visakhapatnam in 1963 and was then translated into various regional languages as well as English. The Central Advisory Board on Education had a meeting in 1964 in Bangalore. The chairman M. C. Chagla, directed that the by-then-popular pledge be read in school assemblies, starting 26 January 1965. The Education Minister of Andhra Pradesh directed all the schools to take it up too. Its popularity grew so much that it was taken up at the national level. The Government of India had it translated into seven languages officially, adopted it as a National Pledge for the country, and introduced it in schools everywhere in India.  

What was the reaction of the author of the national pledge to it honourable position? 
Meanwhile, Mr. Rao did not know his pledge had become so important. He realised it only when as an old man, he heard his granddaughter reading it from her book! Rao was happy at the honour given to his pledge, but he wasn’t keen on publicity. No one remembers him today, but Mr. Rao has left behind an important emblem for our country.