I feel rather frustrated reading such articles; it is too Utopian in present conditions. One reason is that this relies on individuals to improve the lot of a country, without any state machinery to enforce it.
In Army, we have rules and we adhere to them. If someone does not adhere, there is a machinery to send an OSL case to 42 days RI in 1 hour of his arrival. THAT is the reason why there is no OSL later on If we keep pleading our troops in our Sainik Sammelans for good attitude, without strictly enforcing the rules, we will have the same lethargy and mayhem in the Army also.
We talk about Singapore, the same Indians follow the rules because if they do not, there is a severe penalty. In Wash DC, we dare not try to bribe a cop, who has hauled us for over-speeding, because if we do, our license will be canceled for 2 years, or if we have a green card, we shall be deported in 7 days. THIS is what is lacking in our country. I am sure if we could bribe a cop here, everyone would, including Americans. In our country, if we can hang the person guilty of Parliament attacks without any remorse (after having been convicted by Supreme Courts), there shall be reduction in terrorist activities. We can not hang him fearing that there will be a backlash in J&K.
The terrorists know if they are caught, they will kidnap the home minister's daughter and bargain for the terrorists in jail to be released in exchange. The problem is that we do not think about the long term effects of this attitude. We are scared of our own pet dog, and try to appease him so that he will not bite us. There is an example of Israel in the talk. Let us not forget that Israel is feared and respected because it DOES NOT buckle before any terrorist setup. Can we as a nation tell the world that we are not scared to deal with the terrorists with an iron hand? They are bringing such a bad name to Muslims in the country, and are driving a wedge between the society. Imagine a CEO getting killed because he dismissed 300 employees who would not work. In USA, they would be caught by the police and put behind the bars for 20 years. All green card holder would have been deported in a month. Can we do all this? If we can then the industry and businesses in India will shine the way they do in Singapore and USA, and bring glory and wealth to the nation.
Indians individually are good, may be better than an average individual in the world. That is the reason why Indians outshine the local population in other countries. But they do this because the state helps them to excel and do their best in a free environment. If gravity would have been compassionate when we fell while learning to walk, we would not be walking in adulthood. The soft state the Indian Govt projects when it comes to dealing with laws, is crippling us, as a nation and as a society. We are seeing the promise when America recognizes the growth of India, and compliments it as one of the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) that are going to be economic leaders of the future, but we can do much better, if we tighten up the law and order situation in the country, and make it easier for law abiding citizens to express themselves freely, Indians can do wonders and bring the past glory back to India. There is potential there.
A Letter to Every Indian - APJ Published by uttishthata July 6th, 2007 in APJ Abdul Kalam The President of India DR. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam ’s Speech in Hyderabad . Why is the media here so negative? Why are we in India so embarrassed to recognize our own strengths, our achievements? We are such a great nation. We have so many amazing success stories but we refuse to acknowledge them. Why? We are the first in milk production. We are number one in Remote sensing satellites. We are the second largest producer of wheat. We are the second largest producer of rice. Look at Dr. Sudarshan , he has transferred the tribal village into a self-sustaining, self-driving unit. There are millions of such achievements but our media is only obsessed in the bad news and failures and disasters. I was in Tel Aviv once and I was reading the Israeli newspaper. It was the day after a lot of attacks and bombardments and deaths had taken place. The Hamas had struck. But the front page of the newspaper had the picture of a Jewish gentleman who in five years had transformed his desert into an orchid and a granary. It was this inspiring picture that everyone woke up to. The gory details of killings, bombardments, deaths, were inside in the newspaper, buried among other news. In India we only read about death, sickness, terrorism, crime.. Why are we so NEGATIVE? Another question: Why are we, as a nation so obsessed with foreign things? We want foreign T.Vs, we want foreign shirts. We want foreign technology. Why this obsession with everything imported. Do we not realize that self-respect comes with self-reliance? 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 5 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 Mahim Causeway or Pedder Road) between 5 PM and 8 PM. YOU come back to the parking lot to punch your parking ticket if you have over stayed in a restaurant or a shopping mall irrespective of your status 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 who can respect and conform to a foreign system in other countries but cannot in your own. You who will throw papers and cigarettes on the road the moment you touch 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 a 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 who 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 sons’ 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 great deal of introspection and pricks one’s conscience too…. I am echoing J. F. Kennedy’s words to his fellow Americans 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’ Lets do what India needs from us. Thank you, Dr. Abdul Kalam
In Army, we have rules and we adhere to them. If someone does not adhere, there is a machinery to send an OSL case to 42 days RI in 1 hour of his arrival. THAT is the reason why there is no OSL later on If we keep pleading our troops in our Sainik Sammelans for good attitude, without strictly enforcing the rules, we will have the same lethargy and mayhem in the Army also.
We talk about Singapore, the same Indians follow the rules because if they do not, there is a severe penalty. In Wash DC, we dare not try to bribe a cop, who has hauled us for over-speeding, because if we do, our license will be canceled for 2 years, or if we have a green card, we shall be deported in 7 days. THIS is what is lacking in our country. I am sure if we could bribe a cop here, everyone would, including Americans. In our country, if we can hang the person guilty of Parliament attacks without any remorse (after having been convicted by Supreme Courts), there shall be reduction in terrorist activities. We can not hang him fearing that there will be a backlash in J&K.
The terrorists know if they are caught, they will kidnap the home minister's daughter and bargain for the terrorists in jail to be released in exchange. The problem is that we do not think about the long term effects of this attitude. We are scared of our own pet dog, and try to appease him so that he will not bite us. There is an example of Israel in the talk. Let us not forget that Israel is feared and respected because it DOES NOT buckle before any terrorist setup. Can we as a nation tell the world that we are not scared to deal with the terrorists with an iron hand? They are bringing such a bad name to Muslims in the country, and are driving a wedge between the society. Imagine a CEO getting killed because he dismissed 300 employees who would not work. In USA, they would be caught by the police and put behind the bars for 20 years. All green card holder would have been deported in a month. Can we do all this? If we can then the industry and businesses in India will shine the way they do in Singapore and USA, and bring glory and wealth to the nation.
Indians individually are good, may be better than an average individual in the world. That is the reason why Indians outshine the local population in other countries. But they do this because the state helps them to excel and do their best in a free environment. If gravity would have been compassionate when we fell while learning to walk, we would not be walking in adulthood. The soft state the Indian Govt projects when it comes to dealing with laws, is crippling us, as a nation and as a society. We are seeing the promise when America recognizes the growth of India, and compliments it as one of the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) that are going to be economic leaders of the future, but we can do much better, if we tighten up the law and order situation in the country, and make it easier for law abiding citizens to express themselves freely, Indians can do wonders and bring the past glory back to India. There is potential there.
A Letter to Every Indian - APJ Published by uttishthata July 6th, 2007 in APJ Abdul Kalam The President of India DR. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam ’s Speech in Hyderabad . Why is the media here so negative? Why are we in India so embarrassed to recognize our own strengths, our achievements? We are such a great nation. We have so many amazing success stories but we refuse to acknowledge them. Why? We are the first in milk production. We are number one in Remote sensing satellites. We are the second largest producer of wheat. We are the second largest producer of rice. Look at Dr. Sudarshan , he has transferred the tribal village into a self-sustaining, self-driving unit. There are millions of such achievements but our media is only obsessed in the bad news and failures and disasters. I was in Tel Aviv once and I was reading the Israeli newspaper. It was the day after a lot of attacks and bombardments and deaths had taken place. The Hamas had struck. But the front page of the newspaper had the picture of a Jewish gentleman who in five years had transformed his desert into an orchid and a granary. It was this inspiring picture that everyone woke up to. The gory details of killings, bombardments, deaths, were inside in the newspaper, buried among other news. In India we only read about death, sickness, terrorism, crime.. Why are we so NEGATIVE? Another question: Why are we, as a nation so obsessed with foreign things? We want foreign T.Vs, we want foreign shirts. We want foreign technology. Why this obsession with everything imported. Do we not realize that self-respect comes with self-reliance? 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 5 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 Mahim Causeway or Pedder Road) between 5 PM and 8 PM. YOU come back to the parking lot to punch your parking ticket if you have over stayed in a restaurant or a shopping mall irrespective of your status 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 who can respect and conform to a foreign system in other countries but cannot in your own. You who will throw papers and cigarettes on the road the moment you touch 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 a 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 who 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 sons’ 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 great deal of introspection and pricks one’s conscience too…. I am echoing J. F. Kennedy’s words to his fellow Americans 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’ Lets do what India needs from us. Thank you, Dr. Abdul Kalam
