Dr. APJ Abdul Kalaam's speech in Hyderabad.

A must read for every Indian.

"I have three visions for India.
In 3 years of our history! people from all over the "orld have come and
invaded us! captured our lands! con#uered our minds. $rom Ale%ander
on"ards. &he 'ree(s! the &ur(s! the )o*uls! the Portu*uese! the +ritish!
the $rench! the Dutch! all of them came and looted us! too( over "hat "as
ours. ,et "e have not done this to any other nation. -e have not
con#uered anyone.
-e have not *rabbed their land! their culture! their history and tried to
enforce our "ay of life on them. -hy. +ecause "e respect the freedom of
others. &hat is "hy my first vision is that of $/00D1). I believe that India
*ot its first vision of this in 2345! "hen "e started the "ar of independence.
It is this freedom that "e must protect and nurture and build on. If "e are
not free! no one "ill respect us.
)y second vision for India6s D07081P)09&. $or fifty years "e have been a
developin* nation. It is time "e see ourselves as a developed nation.
-e are amon* top 4 nations of the "orld in terms of 'DP. -e have 2
percent *ro"th rate in most areas. 1ur poverty levels are fallin*. 1ur
achievements are bein* *lobally reco*ni:ed today. ,et "e lac( the self;
confidence to see ourselves as a developed nation! self;reliant and self;
assured. Isn't this incorrect.
I have a &HI/D vision.
India must stand up to the "orld. +ecause I believe that! unless
India stands up to the "orld! no one "ill respect us. 1nly stren*th respects
stren*th. -e must be stron* not only as a military po"er but also as an
economic po"er. +oth must *o hand;in;hand. )y *ood fortune "as to
have "or(ed "ith three *reat minds. Dr. 7i(ram <arabhai of the Dept. of
space! Professor <atish Dha"an! "ho succeeded him and Dr. +rahm
Pra(ash! father of nuclear material. I "as luc(y to have "or(ed "ith all
three of them closely and consider this the *reat opportunity of my life.
I see four milestones in my career=
&"enty years I spent in I</1. I "as *iven the opportunity to be the pro>ect
director for India6s first satellite launch vehicle! <873 ; the one that
launched /ohini. &hese years played a very important role in my life as a
scientist.
After my I</1 years! I >oined D/D1 and *ot a chance to be the part of
India's *uided missile pro*ram. It "as my second bliss "hen A*ni met its
mission re#uirements in 2??@.
&he Dept. of Atomic 0ner*y and D/D1 had this tremendous partnership in
the recent nuclear tests! on )ay 22 and 23. &his "as the third bliss. &he >oy
of participatin* "ith my team in these nuclear tests and provin* to the
"orld that India can ma(e it! that "e are no lon*er a developin* nation but
one of them. It made me feel very proud as an Indian. &he fact that "e
have no" developed for A*ni! a re;entry structure! for "hich "e have
developed this ne" material! a very li*ht material called carbon;carbon is
hi*hly commendable.
1ne day an orthopedic sur*eon from 9i:am Institute of )edical <ciences
visited my laboratory. He lifted the material and found it so li*ht that he
too( me to his hospital and sho"ed me his patients. &here "ere these little
*irls and boys "ith heavy metallic calipers "ei*hin* over three K*. each!
dra**in* their feet around.
He said to me= Please remove the pain of my patients.
In three "ee(s! "e made these $loor reaction 1rthosis 3;*ram calipers
and too( them to the orthopedic center. &he children didn't believe their
eyes. $rom dra**in* around a three (ilo*rams load on their le*s! they
could no" move aroundA
&heir parents had tears in their eyes. &hat "as my fourth blissA
-hy is the media here so ne*ative. -hy are "e in India so embarrassed to
reco*ni:e our o"n stren*ths! our achievements. -e are such a *reat
nation. -e have so many ama:in* success stories but "e refuse to
ac(no"led*e them.
-hy.
-e are the first in mil( production.
-e are number one in /emote sensin* satellites.
-e are the second lar*est producer of "heat.
-e are the second lar*est producer of rice.
8oo( at Dr. <udarshanB he has transferred the tribal villa*e into a self;
sustainin*! self drivin* unit. &here are millions of such
achievements but our media is only obsessed in the bad ne"s and failures
and disasters.
I "as in &el Aviv once and I "as readin* the Israeli ne"spaper. It "as the
day after a lot of attac(s and bombardments and deaths had ta(en place.
&he Hamas had struc(. +ut the front pa*e of the ne"spaper had the picture
of a Je"ish *entleman "ho in five years had transformed his desert land
into an orchid and a *ranary. It "as this inspirin* picture that everyone
"o(e up to. &he *ory details of (illin*s! bombardments! deaths! "ere inside
in the ne"spaper! buried amon* other ne"s.
In India "e only read about death! sic(ness! terrorism! crime. -hy are "e
so 90'A&I70.
Another #uestion= -hy are "e! as a nation so obsessed "ith forei*n
thin*s.
-e "ant forei*n &7s! "e "ant forei*n shirts. -e "ant forei*n
technolo*y. -hy this obsession "ith everythin* imported. Do "e not
reali:e that self;respect comes "ith self;reliance.
I "as in Hyderabad *ivin* this lecture! "hen a 2@ year old *irl as(ed me for
my auto*raph. I as(ed her "hat her *oal in life is.
<he replied= I "ant to live in a developed India.
$or her! you and I "ill have to build this developed India. ,ou must
proclaim. India is not an under;developed nationB it is a hi*hly developed
nation.
Do you have 2 minutes. Allo" me to come bac( "ith a ven*eance.
'ot 2 minutes for your country. If yes! then readB other"ise! choice is
yours.
,1C say that our *overnment is inefficient.
,1C say that our la"s are too old.
,1C say that the municipality does not pic( up the *arba*e.
,1C say that the phones don't "or(! the rail"ays are a >o(e!
&he airline is the "orst in the "orld! mails never reach their
destination.
,1C say that our country has been fed to the do*s and is the absolute pits.
,1C say! say and say.
-hat do ,1C do about it. &a(e a person on his "ay to <in*apore. 'ive him
a name ; ,1C/<. 'ive him a face ; ,1C/<. ,1C "al( out of the airport and
you are at your International best. In <in*apore you don6t thro" ci*arette
butts on the roads or eat in the stores. ,1C are as proud of their
Cnder*round 8in(s as they are. ,ou pay D4 Eappro%. /s.FG to drive
throu*h 1rchard /oad Ee#uivalent of )ahim Hause"ay or Pedder /oadG
bet"een 4 P) and 3 P). ,1C come bac( to the par(in* lot to punch your
par(in* tic(et if you have over stayed in a restaurant or a shoppin* mall
irrespective of your status identity. In <in*apore! you don6t say anythin*!
D1 ,1C. ,1C "ouldn't dare to eat in public durin* /amadan! in Dubai.
,1C "ould not dare to *o out "ithout your head covered in Jeddah. ,1C
"ould not dare to buy an employee of the telephone e%chan*e in 8ondon at
2 pounds E/s.F4G a month to! "see to it that my <&D and I<D calls are
billed to someone else." ,1C "ould not dare to speed beyond 44 mph E33
(mIhG in -ashin*ton and then tell the traffic cop! "Jaanta hai sala main
(aun hoon EDo you (no" "ho I am.G. I am so and so's son. &a(e your t"o
buc(s and *et lost."
,1C "ouldn't chuc( an empty coconut shell any"here other than the
*arba*e pail on the beaches in Australia and 9e" Jealand.
-hy don't ,1C spit Paan on the streets of &o(yo.
-hy don't ,1C use e%amination >oc(eys or buy fa(e certificates in +oston.
-e are still tal(in* of the same ,1C. ,1C "ho can respect and conform to
a forei*n system in other countries! but cannot in your o"n. ,ou "ho "ill
thro" papers and ci*arettes on the road the moment you touch Indian
*round. If you can be an involved and appreciative citi:en in an alien
country! "hy cannot you be the same here in India.
1nce in an intervie"! the famous 0%;municipal commissioner of +ombay!
)r. &inai(ar! had a point to ma(e. "/ich people's do*s are "al(ed on the
streets to leave their affluent droppin*s all over the place!" he said.
"And then the same people turn around to critici:e and blame the
authorities for inefficiency and dirty pavements. -hat do they e%pect the
officers to do. 'o do"n "ith a broom every time their do* feels the
pressure in his bo"els.
In America! every do* o"ner has to clean up after his pet has done the >ob.
<ame in Japan. -ill the Indian citi:en do that here.
-e *o to the polls to choose a *overnment and after that forfeit all
responsibility. -e sit bac( "antin* to be pampered and e%pect the
*overnment to do everythin* for us "hilst our contribution is totally
ne*ative. -e e%pect the *overnment to clean up but "e are not *oin* to
stop chuc(in* *arba*e all over the place nor are "e *oin* to stop to pic( a
up a stray piece of paper and thro" it in the bin. -e e%pect the rail"ays to
provide clean bathrooms but "e are not *oin* to learn the proper use of
bathrooms.
-e "ant Indian Airlines and Air India to provide the best of food and
toiletries but "e are not *oin* to stop pilferin* at the least
opportunity. &his applies even to the staff that is (no"n not to pass on the
service to the public. -hen it comes to burnin* social issues li(e those
related to "omen! do"ry! *irl child and others! "e ma(e loud dra"in*
room protestations and continue to do the reverse at home. 1ur e%cuse.
"It's the "hole system "hich has to chan*e! ho" "ill it matter if I alone
fore*o my sons' ri*hts to a do"ry." <o "ho's *oin* to chan*e the system.
-hat does a system consist of. 7ery conveniently for us it consists of our
nei*hbors! other households! other cities! other communities and the
*overnment. +ut definitely not me and ,1C. -hen it comes to us actually
ma(in* a positive contribution to the system "e loc( ourselves alon* "ith
our families into a safe cocoon and loo( into the distance at
countries far a"ay and "ait for a )r. Hlean to come alon* K "or( miracles
for us "ith a ma>estic s"eep of his hand or "e leave the country and run
a"ay.
8i(e la:y co"ards hounded by our fears! "e run to America to bas( in their
*lory and praise their system. -hen 9e" ,or( becomes insecure! "e run to
0n*land. -hen 0n*land e%periences unemployment! "e ta(e the ne%t fli*ht
out to the 'ulf. -hen the 'ulf is "ar struc(! "e demand to be rescued and
brou*ht home by the Indian *overnment. 0verybody is out to abuse and
rape the country. 9obody thin(s of feedin* the system. 1ur conscience is
mort*a*ed to money.
Dear Indians! &he article is hi*hly thou*ht inductive! calls for a *reat deal
of introspection and pric(s one's conscience too....I am echoin*
J.$.Kennedy's "ords to his fello" Americans to relate to Indians.....
"A<K -HA& -0 HA9 D1 $1/ I9DIA A9D D1 -HA& HA< &1 +0 D190
&1 )AK0 I9DIA -HA& A)0/IHA A9D 1&H0/ -0<&0/9 H1C9&/I0<
A/0 &1DA,"
8ets do "hat India needs from us. $or"ard this mail to each Indian for a
chan*e instead of sendin* Jo(es or >un( mails.
&han( you
Abdul Kalaam