President Pranab Mukherjee here today said people should convey tolerance, which is the binding force of Indian civilisation, in their daily actions.
"Our civilisation promotes tolerance, accepts differences and respects dissent," Mukherjee told reporters at his ancestral home here in Birbhum district.
"This (Durga) Puja is not only a worship, but a festival. It integrates all sections of the society besides conveying a message of harmony and peace," Mukherjee, who is visiting his ancestral home on occasion of Durga Puja, said.
"We must recognise the underlying message of the Durga Puja and convey it in our actions," the President added.
"May this festival strengthen the social integrity of our society and turn us away from all that divides and destroys," he said.