WE THE
INDIAN
DO NOT HAVE
TEN MINUTES?
DO WE?
This is the speech
by Dr.Abdul Kalam Azad given at a students Conference in
Hyderabad and I quote: "Allow me
to comeback with 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.
But 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. 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 Ramzan, 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 your STD and ISD calls are
billed to
someone else."
YOU would not dare to speed beyond 55 mph (88 kmph) in Washington and
then
tell the traffic cop, "Jaanta hai sale main kaun hoon. (Do you know who
am 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 Australia and New Zealand.
Why don't YOU spit
Pan 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.
It is 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 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 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.
