Mr President, distinguished guests, sisters and brothers,First of all I would like to thank Diwaliben Mohan Lal Mehta Charitable Trust for their decision to have chosen me for the Progress in Religion award for the year 1996. This is not just a personal honour, it has actually served as an encouragement to all those who are working in the field of religious and spiritual progress in the country. This has indeed given me a new strength to engage myself more effectively in the field in which I have been working with full concentration for the last thirty years.What is a good society? A good society is another name for a group of good human beings. An orchard with lush green trees with flowers, fruits and shade has a refreshing, cooling effect on the eyes of the onlookers. But when it is bereft of green trees it is a desert where there is nothing to watch save desolation all around. A society devoid of good human beings is like a desolate desert, whereas a society with good human beings is like an orchard having the greenery of leaves, scent of flowers, savor of fruits, shade under which human caravan can seek refuge/comfort.What makes good human beings. It is religion alone which makes good human beings. The task of religion is spiritual uplift, which in turn produces positive thinking. The hearts of devout are filled with love for their fellow men. Spirit is awakened which manifests itself in the form of human respect and mutual toleration.Once the prophet of Islam was passing through a path in Medina. In the meantime a funeral passed by. The Prophet stood up in deference. His companions remarked that that was a funeral of a Jew (that is, what was the need for him to show respect). The Prophet replied: wasn’t he a human being? This incident shows how a true human being does not hate anyone. He respects everyone, without any bias for his own people.Once a person bearing some grudge against a Muslim Sufi began abusing the latter, who in turn listened silently without any negative reaction. When he had exhausted all words of abuse the Sufi raised both his hands and began praying for him. The man finding it very strange asked the Sufi as to why after being abused he returned only words of goodness. The Sufi replied Had I returned abuse for abuse I would have degraded myself. But when, I prayed for you, I raised myself. One who returns evil for evil sullies his own soul while by returning good for evil he purifies his own soul. This is the only way of spiritual progress in this world.Once Swami Vivekanand was invited by a Christian friend to his home. In the room where he was seated a number of religious books were placed on a table, Ramayan being below and Bible on top. The Christian friend pointing at the books asked Swamiji to comment on it. Swamiji smiled and said: Foundation is really good.This incident shows how a religious man has the power to turn a negative/minus incident/matter into a plus/positive incident.I went through an incident regarding Smt. Diwaliben (1888-1970) she had a domestic servant named Jivraj whom she trusted so much that she even gave him the keys of the safe. One day Jivraj opened the safe and stole some ornaments. Then he went to the market in order to sell them. The shopkeeper suspected that the ornaments may have been stolen so he handed Jivraj over to the police. Jivraj was arrested by the police and brought to Smt. Diwaliben. But she did not say anything to him. Instead she asked the police to free him as the ornaments were not stolen by him, but she herself gave him for selling them.Smt. Diwaliben was a deeply religious lady. It was this religious spirit which had produced in her this compassion and forbearance.Today we have to revive this religious spirit in India. It is in the revival of this religious spirit wherein lies the future of the country. Our country being a very large country, all kinds of resources exist abundantly. But due to this one lacking it has failed to secure the place it deserved on the map of the world.Swami Vivekanand went to America in 1898. One day while he was walking on a street, an American couple was also walking along one side. Swamiji was covered with ordinary/rough unstitched cloth. On seeing this the American lady remarked to her husband: "This man does not appear to be a gentleman." Swamiji overheard the remark. He then came nearer to the couple and politely said: Excuse me, Madam. In your country tailor makes a man gentleman but in the country from which I come character makes a man gentleman.But now after a hundred years during my visit to America last month (September 1996). I narrated this ancedote to an American, he smiled and remarked: "You are right. But in the present India, morality is an export item, it is no longer meant for local consumption."It is this field wherein we have to work. Diwaliben Mohan Lal Mehta Charitable Trust is working in this field. It is engaged in reviving religious spirit and human values. The need of the honour is to work in this direction continuously on a large scale, until the day comes when our country becomes a society of good human beings. I am certain that the day will soon dawn when our country will assume the status of a world spiritual leader. It will become a beacon beckoning all nations to the values of truth and spirituality. I pray God to grant us the power so that we may devote ourselves to this great cause.I thank all of you once again. May God bless you all.