Let Us Ask Ourselves On This Independence Day…

…we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves – if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?
This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time – to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunityfor our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim…

US President Barack Obama asked Americans this question on the day of his victory. “What change?”
And he is on the path of answering that question.

Not very long ago, an Indian invoked in the Indians a similar vision.

“A developed India by 2020, or even earlier, is not a dream. It need not be a mere vision in the minds of many Indians. It is a mission we can all take up – and succeed.”

That is what Dr APJ Abdul Kalam said Indians through his book in 1998.

We are halfway there in terms of years (2020-2009=11, 2009-1998=11)
But have we made even a sway towards the dream in terms of progress?

Halfway through we still have poverty, corruption, crime, violence, …

Why? We are a billion strong, we have huge amount of human resource, we are intelligent, 34% of NASA employees are Indians, Americans are amazed at the quality of education in India, … and yet we can’t perfect ourselves? Why are we succesful in everything else but nation development?

We lack proactive citizens.

We have citizens who are ready to act when asked to. We have citizens who get goose bumps on hearing the National Anthem. We have citizens who speak/blog against injustices. (Well, I am not eligible to vote right now)

We have people willing to do when they must. We have active citizens.
But we don’t have people doing when they need not. We lack proactive citizens.

We need practive citizens.
Citizens who start movements against injustices.
Citizens who start charity organisations to help the poor.
Citizens who march in protest in order to protect the environment.
Citizens who start health clubs, libraries, schools (or tutorials), industries, businesses, super-markets, search engines,…
Citizens who create their own political party and strive to be a good minister.
Citizens who adopt poor orphans or sponser their education.
Citizens who take an accident victim to the hospital.
Citizens who complain about a crime to the police, or be a witness to something they’ve witnessed.
Citizens who read and make others able to read.
Citizens who are healthy and make others healthy.
Citizens who submit engineering projects to the government.

Citizens who rise themselves and raise others.
Citizens who organize.
Ctizens who create opportunities out of thin air.

Creative citizens. Proactive citizens.

Don’t ASK what you can do for your country. Just DO something for your country.
And the rest is assured.

Jai Hind.

Wish all Indians a Happy Independence Day