Indians want to conquer hearts, not countries: President Murmu

Indians do not want to conquer countries but want to conquer hearts, President Droupadi Murmu said while interacting with Indian researchers here on Tuesday.

During an interactive session with Indian researchers at Champalimaud Centre for Unknowns, the president told them to be the best ambassadors of India as they are identified by the name of their country.

"You will excel in education. You will excel in research. You will become a good scholar but you will contribute to the economy and society, and follow rules and regulations here. Move ahead and make India proud," Murmu said in response to a question from a researcher.

 

The president could not hold back the teacher in herself as she stood up from her seat to respond to every question directed at her by the researchers.

"I had gone to a country where a senior leader asked me if Indians want to conquer the world. I said Indians do not want to conquer countries, they want to conquer hearts," she said.

When asked about the strides of women in India, Murmu said it is in Indian culture to say Sita Ram, Laxmi Narayan and address a gathering as "deviyon (ladies) and sajjano (gentlemen)".

Murmu said she feels proud seeing women medalists, senior women officers, and women leading in various fields.

She said Portugal is a good friend of India, its people are friendly and generous, and the country is endowed with natural beauty.

The president was received at the Champalimaud Centre by Portugal President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and President of the Champalimaud Foundation Dr Leonor Beleza.

In a tour of the facility, both presidents were briefed about the working of a robot delivering medicines from the pharmacy to cancer patients.

Murmu also planted a camellia japonica' tree on the campus.

The Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, designed by Indian Architect Charles Mark Correa, shines as a striking symbol of contemporary architectural elegance.

Correa is credited with some iconic architectural works like the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial at the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, the Jawahar Kala Kendra in Jaipur, the Kanchanjunga apartment tower in Mumbai, and the new city "Navi Mumbai".

Sitting on the expansive waterfront of the Tagus River near the city's harbour, the building houses multiple state-of-the-art labs for multidisciplinary scientific research, clinical care, and patient treatment, focusing on innovation in medicine and exploration of complex diseases like cancer and neurological disorders.

Earlier in the day, the president visited the Portugal parliament where she met President of Assembleia Da Republica Dr Jose Pedro Aguiar-Branco.