'Freedom to practice own faith….', Infosys founder Narayana Murthy speaks about how true democracy works

livemint.com:

N R Narayana Murthy has spoken about how democracy can work in a better way during the convocation of Techno India University in Kolkata. The business magnate said that democracy works best in an environment of pluralism, where every citizen has the freedom to practice one's own beliefs and faith without imposing it on others. According to him, democracy will prosper only if a mindset is created that highlights the commonalities of various beliefs rather than the differences.

Citing a quote from former US President Franklin D Roosevelt on democracy, Narayana Murthy said that "true democracy has four freedoms-freedom of expression, freedom of faith, freedom from fear and freedom from want". Muthy, now chairman emeritus of Infosys, said that in a democracy, one has the freedom to express opinions responsibly, courteously, and fearlessly, and where one also has the freedom to seek a better quality of life. "This translates to the responsibility to create a just society, which embraces the fundamental principle to provide the strongest set of civil liberties and personal rights to everyone, and to tolerate new economic inequalities only if such inequalities ameliorate the conditions of the poor citizens," he said.

Further, the Infosys founder expressed concern regarding India's population. He said, "India has not put population control on the front burner. The most urgent need at the moment is to reduce our population growth rate.

While certain parts of India have made decent progress in reducing it, certain other parts have not paid sufficient attention to this important issue". Exhorting the graduating students, Murthy said a professional lives by the rules of its ethics. "A professional strives hard to be open-minded