Asserting that pluralism and multi-culturalism are at the very core of the Indian psyche, President Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday warned that “worst impulses of intolerance and hatred” are confronting the world and the time has come to reinforce civilisational values that bind together the country’s complex diversity.

“We are today, witnessing events without precedent: when the world is struggling to deal with the worst impulses of intolerance and hatred that mankind has ever witnessed. At such a time, there can be no better recourse that to remind ourselves of the high values, written and unwritten samskaras (tradition), duties and the way of life that is the essence of India. This is the time to reinforce the civilisational values that bind together the complex diversity of modern-day India and promote them among our people and the world,” he said while inaugurating the first-ever International Conference of Indologists in New Delhi.