Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asked the world not to look at India merely as an emerging market but as an idea of plural minds.
"India's rejuvenation, re-emergence and rise have a message for the whole world. India symbolises the freedom of human freedom," Singh said in his address here on the 80th birthday celebrations of noted scholar and veteran Congressman Karan Singh.
"India is not merely an emerging market, it is an emerging idea. It is an idea of plural minds," he said. "It is about idealism, pluralism and the freedom of human spirit."
Singh said that India's commensurate role within the comity of nations should be cultural diplomacy, adding, "As we see ahead, we see in front of us a country of great possibilities".
Praising Karan Singh as a great son of India and a great and noble citizen, he said, "I can think of no other Indian who has come to represent the ethos of out great civilisation like him."
He said that the veteran politician and social leader had seen the political evolution of Jammu and Kashmir. "He has been a strong proponent of the idea of interfaith dialogue," the prime minister said.
The PM released a DVD of a film on Karan Singh's thoughts named I Believe and a book written by the veteran leader on Jammu and Kashmir.
The book named Kashmir and Beyond, includes selected letters of correspondence between Indira Gandhi and Singh.
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