Dr. Abdul Kalam's Speech
in Hyderabad
Please read this article by giving 10 minutes from your busy life.
Really good....
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
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 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 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 greatdeal 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,
Dr. Abdul Kalaam
I humbly request you to forward this to every Indian......
Please read this article by giving 10 minutes from your busy life.
Really good....
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
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 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 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 greatdeal 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,
Dr. Abdul Kalaam
I humbly request you to forward this to every Indian......
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