MUMBAI: Actress Shama Sikander is looking forward to celebrating Republic Day on January 26. She says our biggest strength is our unity in diversity and that has to be preserved at any cost.

"I would like to wish the entire nation a Happy Republic Day. This day is extremely important as it stands for unity in India. I would urge everyone to participate in this and be a part of a flag hoisting ceremony. Indian needs to know about their glorious past. We are a very young country and we have to empower the women in India even more," said Shama.

"There are further initiatives that have happened and we need to keep encouraging them to become the biggest superpower in the world and it should start right away. I urge my fellow Indians to show some love for the country and not think of Republic Day as just a holiday. It's a day to celebrate our nation and we should do this. On this day, we must remember to stick together as a nation because if we stick together nobody can ever separate us," she added.

She also sees it as the time to introspect on how "we can grow as a nation by making ourselves better as a human and be of a better service to our country only then can our nation become better as it's the people who make the country".

"It is the accountability of all us to do our best and stay united come what may. Our biggest strength is our unity in diversity and that has to be preserved at any cost," she added.

SOURCE: IANS