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Tuesday, August 11, 2009

PROUD TO BE AN INDIAN

PERHAPS ALL OF US HAVE READ THIS SPEECH OF OUR EX PRESIDENT DR. ABDUL KALAAM AT LEAST ONCE BEFORE...BUT WE NEED TO REPEAT IT AGAIN & AGAIN AS A WAKE UP CALL TO GIVE US COLLECTIVE PRIDE IN OURSELVES AS A NATION AND TO MAKE US INDIVIDUALLY PROUD TO BE INDIANS...
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The Ex President of India DR. A. P. J. Abdul Kalaam's Speech in Hyderabad.
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Why is the media here so negative?
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Why are we in India so embarrassed to recognize our own strengths, our achievements?
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We are such a great nation. We have so many amazing success stories but we refuse to acknowledge them --- Why?
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We are the first in milk production.
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We are number one in Remote sensing satellites.
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We are the second largest producer of wheat.
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We are the second largest producer of rice.
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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.
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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.
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In India we only read about death, sickness, terrorism, crime.
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Why are we so NEGATIVE?
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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.
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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.
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YOU say that our government is inefficient.
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YOU say that our laws are too old.
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YOU say that the municipality does not pick up the garbage.
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YOU say that the phones don't work, the railways are a joke,
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The airline is the worst in the world, mails never reach their destination.
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YOU say that our country has been fed to the dogs and is in 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.
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YOU would not dare to go out without your head covered in Jeddah.
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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.'
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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.'
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YOU wouldn't chuck an empty coconut shell anywhere other than the garbage pail on the beaches in Australia and New Zealand.
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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.
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YOU, who can respect and conform to a foreign system in other countries but cannot in your own.
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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 up a stray piece of paper and throw it in the bin.
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We expect the railways to provide clean bathrooms but we are not going to learn the proper use of bathrooms.
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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.
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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. What is Our excuse?
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'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 of MINE and YOURS.
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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'

Let us do what India needs from us.

Forward this mail to each Indian for a change instead of sending Jokes or junk mails.

Thank you,

Dr. Abdul Kalaam

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16 comments:

  1. MERA BHARATH MAHAN!!!!!1
    We can see very soon "A DEVELOPED INDIA"........
    It's not only my wish....It will happen very soon.......

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  2. Sir i have gone through your blog and i am really feeling proud to be an Indian. I thank you for your great efforts and pray to God that your wish come true to see a developed INDIA. JAI HIND!

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  3. buRaaaa ChaK De O chAk De INdIA-2

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  4. very true...but even after reading all this how many of us are going to really follow this...

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    Replies
    1. so true..... i guess none of us!

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  5. u have always been my inspiration....sir thank you 4 being such a great leader and a wonerful human being

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  6. Yes i admit that we praise the foreign and discouraging our system. but i still don't know the answer....why why do we do so??

    yes its really a thing to ponder.

    but what should we do. none of us have time even to read this.. a single person can't change INDIA.

    by the ways this article proved to be useful for my article writing so thanx....

    by upm

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    Replies
    1. You are absolutely wrong. A single person can change INDIA-MAHATMA GANDHI did!..so can you!

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  7. sir nobody in our will follow this....they dont even respect all these...wat to do that is india's fate.........

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  8. You are really a great person.I also liked your message in, "Only lesser work gives trouble".

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  9. sir.. ur articles are really inspiring.. they always happen to mesmerize me everytime i go thru them.. really Hope that our unanimous dream of a developed-corruption free India emerges as a super power one fine day.. and depicts Democracy with pride/.. in every sense of the word...!!! ;)..

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  10. Sir,
    We are prouud to be an Indian as every body says and they acts are not Indian,we need to struggle a lot to be an Indian and what our fore fathers had left us the great culture and displane.

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  11. Oh yes every word of it is so true. To experience the change, we can't rely on the politicians or corrupt leaders, but we ourselves should take a step forward towards making a change. It won't be a miracle nor is it going to be as easy as pie. It does requires efforts, and determination. We do have patriotism, and I wish you God that our respect towards nations not just emerges out of our pens and thoughts, I Hope that it turns out in our actions, and Now only a REVOLUTION or a REVOLUTIONARY CHANGE IN THOUGHTS is our last chance. So rise up and improve yourselves, improve society and improve our nation.

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  12. I am also proud to be an Indian. Nice post an very well written. There are many reason proud to be an Indian, As we know there are numbers of things to do in India.

    Love India Jai Hind!

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  13. Being Indian i am also proud as Indian. India is one the leading and famous country around the world. The main reason of its popularity around its history, culture and art.
    Love u Indian

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  14. I am an indian and i will live in a developimg india

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