Tuesday, September 07, 2004
Time to Act
Here is a forwarded message from one of my friends. I thought of sharing it through my blog. It really makes a lot of sense. It's a thought provoking speech by The President of India who tries to explain what "we" should do to than what the "government" should . Here it goes:
I was in Hyderabad giving this lecture, when a 14 year old girl asked me for my autograph. I asked her what her goal in life is.
She replied,"I want to live in a developed India".For her, you and I will have to build this developed India. You must proclaim. India is not an under-developed nation; it is a highly developed nation.
Do you have 10 minutes? Allow me to come back with a vengeance.
Got 10 minutes for your country? If yes, then read; otherwise, choice is yours.
YOU say that our government is inefficient.
YOU say that our laws are too old.
YOU say that the municipality does not pick up the garbage.
YOU say that the phones don't work; the railways are a joke,The airline is the worst in the world, mails never reach their destination.
YOU say that our country has been fed to the dogs and is the absolute pits.
YOU say, say and say.What do YOU do about it?
Take a person on his way to Singapore.
Give him a name...YOURS.
Give him a face...YOURS.
YOU walk out of the airport and you are at your International best.
In Singapore you don't throw cigarette butts on the roads or eat in the stores.
YOU are as proud of their Underground Links as they are.
You pay $5 (approx. Rs.60) to drive through Orchard Road (equivalent of Ma him Causeway or Peder Road) between 5 PM and 8 PM.
YOU comeback to the parking lot to punch your parking ticket if you have over-stayed, identity.In Singapore you don't say anything, DO YOU?
YOU wouldn't dare to eat in public during Ramadan, in Dubai.
YOU would not dare to go out without your head covered in Jeddah.
YOU would not dare to buy an employee of the telephone exchange in London at 10 pounds (Rs.650) a month to, "see to it that my STD and ISD calls are billed to someone else."
YOU would not dare to speed beyond 55 mph (88 km/h) in Washington and then tell the traffic cop, "Jaanta hai main kaun hoon (Do you know who I am?). I am so and so's son. Take your two bucks and get lost."
YOU wouldn't chuck an empty coconut shell anywhere other than the garbage pail on the beaches in Australia and New Zealand.
Why don't YOU spit Paan on the streets of Tokyo?Why don't YOU use examination jockeys or buy fake certificates in Boston?????
We are still talking of the same YOU.
YOU can respect and conform to a foreign system in other countries but cannot in your own. You throw papers and cigarettes on the road the moment you touch the Indian ground.If you can be an involved and appreciative citizen in an alien country, why cannot you be the same here in India?
Once in an interview, the famous Ex-municipal Commissioner of Bombay, Mr. Tinaikar, had a point to make,"Rich people's dogs are walked on the streets to leave their affluent droppings all over the place," he said. "And then the same people turn around to criticize and blame the authorities for inefficiency and dirty pavements. What do they expect the officers to do? Go down with a broom every time their dog feels the pressure in his bowels?In America every dog owner has to clean up after his pet has done the job. Same in Japan. Will the Indian citizen do that here?"He's right.
We go to the polls to choose a government and after that forfeit all responsibility.We sit back wanting to be pampered and expect the government to do everything for us whilst our contribution is totally negative. We expect the government to clean up but we are not going to stop chucking garbage all over the place nor are we going to stop to pick up a stray piece of paper and throw it in the bin.
We expect the railways to provide clean bathrooms but we are not going to learn the proper use of bathrooms.We want Indian Airlines and Air India to provide the best of food and toiletries but we are not going to stop pilfering at the least opportunity.This applies even to the staff that is known not to pass on the service to the public.
When it comes to burning social issues like those related to women, dowry, girl child and others, we make loud drawing room protestations and continue to do the reverse at home.
Our excuse?"It's the whole system which has to change, how will it matter if I alone forego my son's rights to a dowry."So who's going to change the system? What does a system consist of? Very conveniently for us it consists of our neighbours, other households, other cities, other communities and the government.But definitely not me and YOU.
When it comes to us actually making a positive contribution to the system we lock ourselves along with our families into a safe cocoon and look into the distance at countries far away and wait for a Mr. Clean to come along & work miracles for us with a majestic sweep of his hand or we leave the country and run away.
Like lazy cowards hounded by our fears we run to America to bask in their glory and praise their system.- When New York becomes insecure we run to England.
When England experiences unemployment, we take the next flight out to the Gulf.
When the Gulf is war struck, we demand to be rescued and brought home by the Indian government.
Everybody is out to abuse and rape the country.Nobody thinks of feeding the system.Our conscience is mortgaged to money.
Dear Indians, the article is highly thought inductive, calls for a greatdeal of introspection and pricks one's conscience too?..
I am echoing J.F. Kennedy's words to his fellow American to relate to Indians?."ASK WHAT WE CAN DO FOR INDIA AND DO WHAT HAS TO BE DONE TO MAKE INDIA WHAT AMERICA AND OTHER WESTERN COUNTRIES ARE TODAY"Let's do what India needs from us.
Thank You,
Dr. A P J Abdul Kalaam
I really agree with Dr.Kalam. India is what it is because of it's people. Dr. Gurujada Apparao who is a famour Telugu writer had once quoted, "A country is not represented by it's geographical area but by it's people.
Indians are spread everywhere in the world, in various field, trying to be the best and striving hard to make it in adverse conditions. However when they talk about India, people think of poverty, dirty stinking roads, caste system, communal violence, child labour, dowry deaths, anything and everything bad under the sun. So the irony is that when people of the same country can excel exceptionally well and make a difference all over the world, why is the country still poor? Why is it still in the clutches of darkness and misery caused by all the evil factors? Is it because we are selfish to just take care of ourselves and not bother about the welfare of our country as whole? Or is it because we shy away from doing anything as we feel it hardly makes any difference?
It's high time we Indians realize the power and strength we have within us and utilize it for the betterment of our country too.
I was in Hyderabad giving this lecture, when a 14 year old girl asked me for my autograph. I asked her what her goal in life is.
She replied,"I want to live in a developed India".For her, you and I will have to build this developed India. You must proclaim. India is not an under-developed nation; it is a highly developed nation.
Do you have 10 minutes? Allow me to come back with a vengeance.
Got 10 minutes for your country? If yes, then read; otherwise, choice is yours.
YOU say that our government is inefficient.
YOU say that our laws are too old.
YOU say that the municipality does not pick up the garbage.
YOU say that the phones don't work; the railways are a joke,The airline is the worst in the world, mails never reach their destination.
YOU say that our country has been fed to the dogs and is the absolute pits.
YOU say, say and say.What do YOU do about it?
Take a person on his way to Singapore.
Give him a name...YOURS.
Give him a face...YOURS.
YOU walk out of the airport and you are at your International best.
In Singapore you don't throw cigarette butts on the roads or eat in the stores.
YOU are as proud of their Underground Links as they are.
You pay $5 (approx. Rs.60) to drive through Orchard Road (equivalent of Ma him Causeway or Peder Road) between 5 PM and 8 PM.
YOU comeback to the parking lot to punch your parking ticket if you have over-stayed, identity.In Singapore you don't say anything, DO YOU?
YOU wouldn't dare to eat in public during Ramadan, in Dubai.
YOU would not dare to go out without your head covered in Jeddah.
YOU would not dare to buy an employee of the telephone exchange in London at 10 pounds (Rs.650) a month to, "see to it that my STD and ISD calls are billed to someone else."
YOU would not dare to speed beyond 55 mph (88 km/h) in Washington and then tell the traffic cop, "Jaanta hai main kaun hoon (Do you know who I am?). I am so and so's son. Take your two bucks and get lost."
YOU wouldn't chuck an empty coconut shell anywhere other than the garbage pail on the beaches in Australia and New Zealand.
Why don't YOU spit Paan on the streets of Tokyo?Why don't YOU use examination jockeys or buy fake certificates in Boston?????
We are still talking of the same YOU.
YOU can respect and conform to a foreign system in other countries but cannot in your own. You throw papers and cigarettes on the road the moment you touch the Indian ground.If you can be an involved and appreciative citizen in an alien country, why cannot you be the same here in India?
Once in an interview, the famous Ex-municipal Commissioner of Bombay, Mr. Tinaikar, had a point to make,"Rich people's dogs are walked on the streets to leave their affluent droppings all over the place," he said. "And then the same people turn around to criticize and blame the authorities for inefficiency and dirty pavements. What do they expect the officers to do? Go down with a broom every time their dog feels the pressure in his bowels?In America every dog owner has to clean up after his pet has done the job. Same in Japan. Will the Indian citizen do that here?"He's right.
We go to the polls to choose a government and after that forfeit all responsibility.We sit back wanting to be pampered and expect the government to do everything for us whilst our contribution is totally negative. We expect the government to clean up but we are not going to stop chucking garbage all over the place nor are we going to stop to pick up a stray piece of paper and throw it in the bin.
We expect the railways to provide clean bathrooms but we are not going to learn the proper use of bathrooms.We want Indian Airlines and Air India to provide the best of food and toiletries but we are not going to stop pilfering at the least opportunity.This applies even to the staff that is known not to pass on the service to the public.
When it comes to burning social issues like those related to women, dowry, girl child and others, we make loud drawing room protestations and continue to do the reverse at home.
Our excuse?"It's the whole system which has to change, how will it matter if I alone forego my son's rights to a dowry."So who's going to change the system? What does a system consist of? Very conveniently for us it consists of our neighbours, other households, other cities, other communities and the government.But definitely not me and YOU.
When it comes to us actually making a positive contribution to the system we lock ourselves along with our families into a safe cocoon and look into the distance at countries far away and wait for a Mr. Clean to come along & work miracles for us with a majestic sweep of his hand or we leave the country and run away.
Like lazy cowards hounded by our fears we run to America to bask in their glory and praise their system.- When New York becomes insecure we run to England.
When England experiences unemployment, we take the next flight out to the Gulf.
When the Gulf is war struck, we demand to be rescued and brought home by the Indian government.
Everybody is out to abuse and rape the country.Nobody thinks of feeding the system.Our conscience is mortgaged to money.
Dear Indians, the article is highly thought inductive, calls for a greatdeal of introspection and pricks one's conscience too?..
I am echoing J.F. Kennedy's words to his fellow American to relate to Indians?."ASK WHAT WE CAN DO FOR INDIA AND DO WHAT HAS TO BE DONE TO MAKE INDIA WHAT AMERICA AND OTHER WESTERN COUNTRIES ARE TODAY"Let's do what India needs from us.
Thank You,
Dr. A P J Abdul Kalaam
I really agree with Dr.Kalam. India is what it is because of it's people. Dr. Gurujada Apparao who is a famour Telugu writer had once quoted, "A country is not represented by it's geographical area but by it's people.
Indians are spread everywhere in the world, in various field, trying to be the best and striving hard to make it in adverse conditions. However when they talk about India, people think of poverty, dirty stinking roads, caste system, communal violence, child labour, dowry deaths, anything and everything bad under the sun. So the irony is that when people of the same country can excel exceptionally well and make a difference all over the world, why is the country still poor? Why is it still in the clutches of darkness and misery caused by all the evil factors? Is it because we are selfish to just take care of ourselves and not bother about the welfare of our country as whole? Or is it because we shy away from doing anything as we feel it hardly makes any difference?
It's high time we Indians realize the power and strength we have within us and utilize it for the betterment of our country too.
Comments:
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Nice post Swapna. But I am afraid I am too pessimistic on this subject.
Another example we can include here is indian traffic. I have seen indians living in USA talk about Indian traffic. Will they follow traffic rules when they go to India? NO!! But for commenting against India.. these people line up in the front line.
But you know what, Indians dont give a sh*t on what happens to India. They are greedy and their happiness is all that they want. If they stay in India, they have to fight with more ruthless indians. So, their mantra is to complain against the country and get out of India as soon as possible so that while other people around you aren't as corrupt as you are, life looks much more comfortable.
NO ONE WILL ACT. EVERYONE WILL RUNAWAY!!
Another example we can include here is indian traffic. I have seen indians living in USA talk about Indian traffic. Will they follow traffic rules when they go to India? NO!! But for commenting against India.. these people line up in the front line.
But you know what, Indians dont give a sh*t on what happens to India. They are greedy and their happiness is all that they want. If they stay in India, they have to fight with more ruthless indians. So, their mantra is to complain against the country and get out of India as soon as possible so that while other people around you aren't as corrupt as you are, life looks much more comfortable.
NO ONE WILL ACT. EVERYONE WILL RUNAWAY!!
Nice to hear your instant feedback on the post.
Well, Sham I agree with you that most of "us" are big time hippocrites. "We" always try to little "ourselves" and our country assuming it to be something or someone else's business but that is exactly the crux of the problem. "We" never think twice that who we criticise are "our" own fellowmen and what we hate are "our own" habits.
It is true that it's difficult to change the system, and expecting a drastic "change" is also unrealistic. Yes, everyone has their own life to live and their own reasons to leave the country and compete for survival. But, what I feel the lesson of the speech is to implement whatever we can in our own life. We should practice the same rules and behave similarly where ever we are irrespective of how lenient our surroundings are.You need not sing national anthem and boast about India, just be a good citizen by having good civic sense. Every individual needs to be little more careful in our approach towards our surroundings and it will make a difference.
Well, Sham I agree with you that most of "us" are big time hippocrites. "We" always try to little "ourselves" and our country assuming it to be something or someone else's business but that is exactly the crux of the problem. "We" never think twice that who we criticise are "our" own fellowmen and what we hate are "our own" habits.
It is true that it's difficult to change the system, and expecting a drastic "change" is also unrealistic. Yes, everyone has their own life to live and their own reasons to leave the country and compete for survival. But, what I feel the lesson of the speech is to implement whatever we can in our own life. We should practice the same rules and behave similarly where ever we are irrespective of how lenient our surroundings are.You need not sing national anthem and boast about India, just be a good citizen by having good civic sense. Every individual needs to be little more careful in our approach towards our surroundings and it will make a difference.
As you can see, this is a touchy topic and one which means a lot to me.
We are not ready to do our duty because we think no one else is doing their's correctly. The irony of this is that ours is the land that gave the Bhagavadgeetha, 'karmanyevaadikaarasthe maa paleshu kadaachana'
I guess those who really take the responsibility of serving the country in whatever means they can do not really speak up and let the world know what they are doing. Neither would they expect anything in return for their service to the country. Their voices will never be heard (thats probably because there are too many of us who just shrug off their duties)
We are not ready to do our duty because we think no one else is doing their's correctly. The irony of this is that ours is the land that gave the Bhagavadgeetha, 'karmanyevaadikaarasthe maa paleshu kadaachana'
I guess those who really take the responsibility of serving the country in whatever means they can do not really speak up and let the world know what they are doing. Neither would they expect anything in return for their service to the country. Their voices will never be heard (thats probably because there are too many of us who just shrug off their duties)
"You can choose to be one like them and make major influence or just sit and be a HAPPY PESSIMIST"
You really need to read the blogs before writing irrelevant comments.
In any way,
Ambani is one person
Tata is one person
Birla is one person
Vinod Khosla is one person
-- I get your idea of service to the nation.
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You really need to read the blogs before writing irrelevant comments.
In any way,
Ambani is one person
Tata is one person
Birla is one person
Vinod Khosla is one person
-- I get your idea of service to the nation.
<< Home
