India President's Visions for India's future

[Guest guest]

21.07.03

>

> Mr.Krishnan

>

>

> I was very impressed by a speech delivered by our President,

> Honourable

> Dr.A. P. J. Abdul Kalam. Please read, ensure your siblings do too

> and pass it on, in the interest of an India we can all be proud

> of.

>

> Sundara rajan.J

> 138-D,Shipra Suncity

> Indirapuram,

> Ghaziabad - 201010

> phone: 120-2911308

>

> _____________________

> > >

> > > "I have three visions for India.

> > > In 3000 years of our history, people from all over the world

> >have come and

> > > invaded us, captured our lands, conquered our minds. From

> >Alexander

> > > onwards. The Greeks, the Turks, the Moguls, the Portuguese,

> >the British,

> > > the

> > > French, the Dutch, all of them came and looted us, took over

> >what was

> >ours.

> > > Yet we have not done this to any other nation. We have not

> >conquered

> > > anyone.

> > > We have not grabbed their land, their culture, their history

> >and tried to

> > > enforce our way of life on them. Why? Because we respect the

> >freedom of

> > > others. That is why my first vision is that of FREEDOM. I

> >believe that

> > > India

> > > got its first vision of this in 1857, when we started the war

> >of

> > > independence. It is this freedom that we must protect and

> >nurture and

> >build

> > > on. If we are not free, no one will respect us.

> > >

> > > My second vision for India is DEVELOPMENT. For fifty years we

> >have been a

> > > developing nation. It is time we see ourselves as a developed

> >nation. We

> > > are

> > > among top 5 nations of the world in terms of GDP. We have 10

> >percent

> >growth

> > > rate in most areas. Our poverty levels are falling. Our

> >achievements are

> > > being globally recognized today. Yet we lack the

> >self-confidence to see

> > > ourselves as a developed nation, self- reliant and

> >self-assured. Isn't

> >this

> > > incorrect?

> > >

> > > I have a THIRD vision.

> > > India must stand up to the world. Because I believe that,

> >unless India

> > > stands up to the world, no one will respect us. Only strength

> >respects

> > > strength. We must be strong not only as a military power but

> >also as an

> > > economic power. Both must go hand-in-hand. My good fortune was

> >to have

> > > worked with three great minds. Dr. Vikram Sarabhai of the

> >Dept. of space,

> > > Professor Satish Dhawan, who succeeded him and Dr.Brahm

> >Prakash, father of

> > > nuclear material. I was lucky to have worked with all three of

> >them

> >closely

> > > and consider this the great opportunity of my life.

> > >

> > > I see four milestones in my career:

> > > Twenty years I spent in ISRO. I was given the opportunity to

> >be the

> > > project

> > > director for India's first satellite launch vehicle, SLV3.

> >The one that

> > > launched Rohini. These years played a very important role in

> >my life of

> > > Scientist.

> > >

> > > After my ISRO years, I joined DRDO and got a chance to be the

> >part of

> > > India's guided missile program. It was my second bliss when

> >Agni met its

> > > mission requirements in 1994.

> > > The Dept. of Atomic Energy and DRDO had this tremendous

> >partnership in the

> > > recent nuclear tests, on May 11 and 13. This was the third

> >bliss. The joy

> > > of

> > > participating with my team in these nuclear tests and proving

> >to the world

> > > that India can make it, that we are no longer a developing

> >nation but one

> > > of

> > > them. It made me feel very proud as an Indian. The fact that

> >we have now

> > > developed for Agni a re-entry structure, for which we have

> >developed this

> > > new material. A Very light material called carbon-carbon. One

> >day an

> > > orthopedic surgeon from Nizam Institute of Medical Sciences

> >visited my

> > > laboratory. He lifted the material and found it so light that

> >he took me

> >to

> > > his hospital and showed me his patients. There were these

> >little girls and

> > > boys with heavy metallic calipers weighing over three Kg.

> >each, dragging

> > > their feet around. He said to me: Please remove the pain of my

> >patients.

> >In

> > > three weeks, we made these Floor reaction Orthosis 300-gram

> >Calipers and

> > > took them to the orthopedic center. The children didn't

> >believe their

> >eyes.

> > > From dragging around a three kg. Load on their legs, they

> >could now move

> > > around! Their parents had tears in their eyes. That was my

> >fourth bliss!

> > >

> > > 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 land

> > > 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 TVs, 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 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 - OURS. 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 comeback

> >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 sala 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

> > > neighbors, 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. Forward this mail to each

> >Indian for a

> > > change instead of sending Jokes or junk mails.

> > >

> > > Thank you

> > > Abdul Kalaam

>

>

>

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