> I hope this makes a difference in all the amazing people who reads this > and, ofcourse in me!!! > > > > > TO ALL INDIANS FOOD FOR THOUGHT & TO ACT ON READ ON > 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 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 a 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 everybody 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 develo ped 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 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 Lin ks > as they are. You pay $5 (approx.Rs.60) to drive through Orchard Road > (equivalent of Mahim Causeway or Peddar Road) between 5 PM an 8PM. 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 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 .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 Aus tralia 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 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 > that 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 E ngland. 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 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" > > Thank you. > > Abdul Kalam > > > Let's do what India needs from us. Forward this mail to each Indian for > a change instead of sending Jokes or junk mails.