MY VISION FOR INDIA- A
speech by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
On
national days such as the Republic Day and the Independence Day, you must have
heard
the speeches made by our leaders. These speeches inform us about the progress
of
the
nation. They also tell us about some new initiatives which the government plans
to take
for
the continuous development of the nation. Do you feel inspired and enthusiastic
when
you
hear such speeches? Do they make you feel that you too should contribute a bit
and
make
India one of the best nations in the world?
Let
us listen the speech delivered by our former President, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
and
know what his vision for India was. [Speech recited by Akash
Chaudhary of Vidyagyan school]
I have three visions for India.
In 3000 years
of our history people from all over the world have come and invaded us, captured our lands,
conquered our minds.
From Alexander onwards the Greeks, the Turks, the Moguls, the Portuguese,
the British, the French, the Dutch, all of them came and looted us, took over what was
ours.
Yet we have not done this to any other nation.
We have not conquered anyone. We have not grabbed their land, their culture and their history and tried to enforce our way of life on them. Why?
Because we respect the freedom of others.
That is why my FIRST VISION is that of FREEDOM.
I believe that
India got its first vision of this in 1857,
when we started the war of Independence. It is this freedom that we must protect and nurture and build on. If
we are not free, no one will respect us.
We have 10 percent growth rate in most areas.
Our poverty levels are falling.
Our achievements
are being globally recognised today.
Yet we lack the self-confidence
to see ourselves as a developed nation, self-reliant and self-assured.
Isn’t this
incorrect?
MY SECOND VISION for India is DEVELOPMENT.
For fifty years we have been a developing
nation.
It is time we see ourselves as a developed
nation.
We are among top five nations in the world in
terms of GDP.
I have a THIRD VISION.
India must
stand up to the world. Because I believe that unless India stands up to the
world, no one will respect us.
Only strength respects strength.
We must be
strong not only as a military power
but also as an economic power.
Both must go hand-in-hand.
My good
fortune was to have worked with three great minds.
Dr.Vikram
Sarabhai, of the Dept. of Space,
Professor
Satish Dhawan, who succeeded him
and Dr.
Brahm Prakash, father of nuclear material.
I was lucky to
have worked with all three of them closely and consider this the great
opportunity of my life.
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 underdeveloped nation; it is
a highly developed nation.
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,and
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?
Dear Indians,
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.”
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