Freedom of Expression
Please read this article
The Ex President of Government of India, DR. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam’s Speech in Hyderabad. He asks why our media is 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? Are we going to overcome that age old bias of slavishness or not?
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. Singh of Rajasthan and Anna Hazare of Maharashtra are second to none in rural development.
There are millions of such achievements but our media is only obsessed with the bad news; failures and disasters, accidents, riots, killings and abductions all negative news are on the front and news of construction, innovation, development and improvement based activities are not even inside the newspapers, why? A lot of positive work is going on in our country but they are not taken note of, why?
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 in our media and on TVs 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. You and I will have to build this developed India for her. 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;
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,
YOU say 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?
You must remember the people give all these services are coming out of you and now just see for yourself what you do!
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 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. And consider yourself a very smart person!
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 son of so and so. Take your two bucks and get lost.' And consider yourself a very smart person!
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?
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 do not bother to dirty public urinals and toilets, we do not care to keep public places clean and throw rubbish on street, we spit any where and every where!
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 staffs who are 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. And see what our excuse is!
“It's the whole system which has to change, how will it matter if I alone forego my sons' rights to a dowry. My case is different!”
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. Be sure that if you change and accept good changes then and then only the system shall change and so first you will have to take to better habits. Can you do it?
We even do not mind using our religions to justify many a wrong habits we have inculcated in us over many generations. When nation calls for family planning we refuse and keep producing children, whom we can not feed, can not educate properly and when asked we say; my religion says so and so!! And so I do it.
When you mistreat your wife and throw her out; you tell this is what my religion has told me to do, this is my birth right as I belong to this religion, what can I do when my religion asks me to do it! When you are asked to refer to your conscience you say my religion is above my conscience!
We want to have food at proper price but for that we have to control our population; who shall do it, while you keep producing children? Everybody wants other to be disciplined and for you, I Am Different!
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 US to bask in their glory and praise their system. When New York becomes insecure we run to UK. When UK 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.
Now remember, if you cannot change, how you expect your brethren who man the government to be perfect. If you want government to work properly you will have to discipline yourself first. You blame yourself for your faults and correct them then and then only you can demand government run by your brethren to work properly; I do not mean to justify the wrongs of our government by this argument nevertheless, I suggest that blaming others does not work, first correct ourselves and then blame the government. That Shall Work.
If you want trains to work properly ask yourself if you work in your office SINCERELY?
If you want others to behave properly with you ask yourself if you behave properly with others?
If you want your boss to respect you, ask yourself if you respect your servant?
If you want to earn by bribe from others then if others do it what?
You say government is made of criminals, what you wish to do in your work. Just be sincere and then demand change in this government. Remember, this government is made up of people just like you! If you cannot be sincere then how you expect your brethren to be so?
If you hate Marathi while staying in Maharashtra then if Maharashtrian hate you, why complain? If you have to stay in other State than yours then you must learn to respect that State and their language and customs, if not then on those people reacting; you can not object.
If you want integrated India to stay that way you must respect other people and not consider yourself great. OTHERWISE DO NOT COMPLAIN IF INDIA BREAKS!
Can you stop hatred for others? If not then why blame others if they hate you?
Let us build INDIA with mutual respect and not make it weak by mutual hatred!
If you think other Indians inferior to you then why complain if others consider you inferior to them?
Jains say we are great, Brahmins say we are great, Parsees say we are great, Muslims say we are great then why not consider WE ARE ALL GREAT!!!
Dear Indians, the article is highly thought inductive; and pricks one's conscience too.
ASK WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR INDIA AND DO WHAT HAS TO BE DONE TO MAKE INDIA ABLE AND STRONG.
Lets do what India needs from us.
Thank you,
Dr. Abdul Kalaam
I humbly request you to give this, sincere attention and please implement it; forward this to every Indian...
You may contact me on my Email ID given below,
and
You are invited to visit my other blog if you are interested in stories.
Visit my other blog for interesting topics:
|
|
