Dear leaders,
Happy Independence Day!
It is an honor to share some thoughts
with my students who constitute the majority of the Indian population. You are
the force of India! You are the power of India! You are the leaders of this
great country! Many revolutions are successful with your support. You have transformed the Indian society
extraordinarily. Because you think what is possible. You think what is feasible.
You make things happen. And you see that India becomes prosperous.
Around 2000 years ago, India was the
leader in the world. Long ago, we had the greatest civilization on the
earth. We were one of the richest
countries in the world. We had great leaders like Ashoka who ruled not only
India but some parts of Asia. Where do we stand now? We are at the crossroads of Indian history.
We got independence from the British
in 1947. When we look back what did we
achieve? Let us ask ourselves honestly.
It is time to take stock of the situation. It is unfortunate that India still
lives in poverty and malnutrition. We
have several challenges currently. The major one is corruption which has become
a cancer to our Indian society. It is very sad to note that corruption entered
into all areas of the Indian system. Remember, the day corruption enters into
educational institutions and the armed forces, the country will collapse like a
house of cards. Therefore, you must strive for a society which is free from corruption.
That is the need of the hour indeed!
India has 28 states and 7 union
territories. India is a country of contrasts in many aspects. India has 22
official languages and Indians speak over 1600 dialects. India is a land of
unity in diversity. We are identified through different cultures and communities
but connected by a single common thread – Indianness. India is indeed
incredible!
India is a great country where a
minority Sikh is the Prime Minister of this great country; minority Muslims
became the presidents of this great country; a Dalit leader like Dr. Ambedkar
could rise and wrote the Indian constitution that protects the rights of all Indian citizens. Indian land provides ample of equal
opportunities to all citizens irrespective of their region, religion, language,
caste, creed and community. We are the large hearted people in the world. Eulogizing
India, Roman Scholar, Romain Rolland once remarked, “If there is one place on
the face of earth where all the dreams of living men have found a home from the
very earliest days when man began the dream of existence, it is India.”
We Indians are known for hospitality. We
welcome all communities and cultures with open arms. We have a great heart to accept
and accommodate anybody and everybody on the earth. That is the greatness of
India! Our Indian soil is rich with diversified cultures and is highly sacred
with religious tolerance and secularism. You must be proud that you are born on
this great Indian soil.
India has sheltered many religions,
cultures and communities. It is the land
of all religions and nations on the earth.
We belong to a country that taught the world about non-violence and
Satyagraha. We belong to a country that taught
the world about tolerance and secularism. We belong to a country that taught
the world about fraternity and universal brotherhood. It was Swami Vivekananda
who put India’s greatness on the global map in the Chicago Conference. He
conquered America without any bullet.
India is not an emerging country. It
has already emerged as a great country in the world. India is the origin of
‘zero’ and India is the origin of the Information Age. Albert Einstein once
remarked, “We owe a lot to the Indians, who taught us how to count, without
which no worthwhile scientific discovery could have been made.”
Indian civilization is one of the
oldest surviving civilizations in the world. Mark Twain rightly remarked,
“India is, the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the
mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great grandmother of
tradition. Our most valuable and most instructive materials in the history of
man are treasured up in India only.”
We have the largest speaking English
population in the world. We are the largest surviving democracy in the world. We
have championed the self-determination of people from Asia to Africa. We are the global leader to support democratic
movements across the world. We are the
number one in many areas. . We are the trendsetters, not trend followers. That
is the greatness of India! We are the leading contributor to the United Nations
peacekeeping missions. We are preparing to take our seat on the United Nations
Security Council very soon. It is time to capitalize what we have, and move on
aggressively to make a mark globally.
We had great leaders like Netaji
Subhash Chandra Bose, Mahatma Gandhi, and Bhagat Singh. Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose was a great
patriot, a visionary leader, and an orator, who founded the Indian National
Army. There are five followers of Mahatma Gandhi who bagged Nobel Prizes –
Martin Luther King Jr, Nelson Mandela, Aung San Sui Ki, Dalai Lama and Barrack Obama. There are a huge number of followers for Mahatma
Gandhi across the world. Our ideas and
ideals are followed by great countries and great people across the world. That shows our strength! And we must make sure that Mahatma Gandhi’s
ideals and ideas are emulated by everyone within India to make our country
stronger and greater in the world.
We are proud to have a strong
judiciary in India. We are proud to have a strong media that checks everything.
Thanks to the media that it highlights any irregularities and brings corruption
into the public attention.
India is successful in the Green
Revolution that fed millions of Indians. We have withstood the recent recession. Many great countries and developed countries
like US and UK have been hit hard due to recession. But we are not hit hard due to our strong
inherent systems. It is said that if
America catches cold the world sneezes. The
world may sneeze, not India and Indians.
The global equations are changing
rapidly. Now it is our time. A BRIC Report says that India has an important
role to play in the years to come – BRIC is the acronym for Brazil, Russia,
India and China. India has several strategic competitive advantages over these three
countries and especially over China as India’s population is young and the Chinese
population is old. However, let us not rest on our laurels. It is time for us to work hard and work smart
to take India
forward economically.
Presently Indians are going to America
to work. We Indians don’t have to work anymore under Americans and foreigners. The day is not far away where Americans and
foreigners will come to India and work under Indians. We will show the world
what we are! We will show the world the might of India!
Let us be duty-oriented rather than
rights-oriented. Let us not ask what the
country has given us. Let us ask ourselves
what we are giving back to our country. There must be change in the attitude of
the people. There must be change in the mindset of the people.
We will work together. We will walk
together. We must make a pledge that we
will make India a developed country very soon.
We will make India a Super Power on the earth. We will never rest until
we accomplish our goal.
We had seen enough failures,
separations and humiliations at the hands of foreigners. Enough is enough! Let us look back, learn lessons and move
forward with confidence and optimism. It is time for India to be established
internationally.
We will protect our independence by
all means. We are Indians first and Indians last. No power under the sun on the earth can
separate us. We are one. We will live
together and we will die together. We will protect our independence by all
means. We will put our motherland on the top of the world. It is our time to raise our voice and to
stand out as the number one country in the world.
We will walk as brothers and
sisters. We will share both sorrow and
joy. We will share both pain and
pleasure. If India is to be a great
nation we must stand united ignoring the differences. We should stay united by looking at the
commonalities. It is our time to establish ourselves internationally. We will not rest until we become a Super
Power. We will bring back the lost
glory. We will see to it that we become the
number one nation in the world.
Be disciplined. Be tolerant towards
others. Empathize with others. Respect all communities. Love your mother, but don’t hate another
person’s mother. Remember, as your
mother is precious to you, another person’s mother is equally precious to him/her.
The sky is the limit for you! You have
abundant opportunities currently. You are born in the right time of Indian
history. You have great potential and powers to take on this world. Bharat Mata
is calling you. Develop a positive, right and strong attitude. Shoulder the
responsibilities. Lead India and lead the world.
Thank you, God bless India. Jai Hind!
By, Professor M.S. Rao
Pledge: Be proud of being an Indian.
I
Have a Dream
I have a dream that one day the Indian
youth will spread across the world and they will be in great demand globally.
I have a dream that the Indian youth
will become more responsible with a great attitude to take on the global
challenges.
I have a dream that the Indian youth
will bring back our past glory by putting India on the top of the world.
I have a dream that we Indians will
work and walk as brothers and sisters.
I have a dream that we Indians will look
at the commonalities, not the differences.
I have a dream that we Indians will
stay united and become role model for other citizens in the world.
I have a dream that the sun will not
set on Indians.
I have a dream that the Indian youth
will lead this country from the front and make it a Super Power in the world.
Note:
This article has been adapted from
Professor M.S.Rao’s the award-winning book ‘Student Leaders: Growing From
Students to CEOs’ published by Shroff Distributors and Publishers in 2013 (ISBN:
978-93-5110-163-5). It is strictly copyrighted and you need to take permission
from the author for usage of any material from this article.
Life is great!
Listed in Marquis Who's Who in the
World in 2013
Knowledge Grows When Shared
Thanks for reading!
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