- DR. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam 's Speech in Hyderabad .
Why is the media here so negative?
Whyare we in India so embarrassed to recognize our own strengths, ourachievements? We are such a great nation. We have so many amazingsuccess stories but we refuse acknowledge them--- Why? We are the first in milk production.
We are number one in Remote sensing satellites.
We are the second largest producer of wheat.
We are the second largest producer of rice.
Look at Dr. Sudarshan , he has transferred the tribal village into a self-sustaining, self-driving unit.There are millions of such achievements but our media is only obsessed in the bad news and failures and disasters. I was in Tel Avivonce and I was reading the Israeli newspaper.. It was the day after alot of attacks and bombardments and deaths had taken place. The Hamashad struck. But the front page of the newspaper had the picture of a Jewish gentleman who in five years had transformed his desert into anorchid and a granary. It was this inspiring picture that everyone wokeup to. The gory details of killings, bombardments, deaths, were insidein the newspaper, buried among other news.
In India we only read about death, sickness, terrorism, crime. Why are we so NEGATIVE?Another question: Whyare we, as a nation so obsessed with foreign things? We want foreign T.Vs, we want foreign shirts. We want foreign technology.
Why thisobsession with everything imported. Do we not realize that self-respectcomes with self-reliance? I was in Hyderabad giving this lecture,when a14 year old girl asked me for my autograph. I asked her what her goalin 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 under-developed nation; it is a highly developednation. Do you have 10 minutes? Allow me to come back with a vengeance.
Got 10 minutes for your country? If yes, then read; otherwise, choice is yours.
YOUsay that our government is inefficient.
YOUsay that our laws are too old.
YOUsay that the municipality does not pick up the garbage.
YOUsay that the phones don't work, the railways are a joke,
The airline is the worst in the world, mails never reach their destination.
YOUsay 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?
Take a person onhis way to Singapore . Give him a name - YOURS. Give him aface - YOURS.YOU walk out of the airport and you are at your International best. InSingapore you don't throw cigarette butts on the roads or eat in thestores. YOU are as proud of their Underground links as they are. Youpay $5 (approx. Rs. 60) to drive through Orchard Road(equivalent of Mahim Causeway or Pedder Road) between 5 PM and 8 PM. YOU come back to the parking lot to punch yourparking ticket if you have over stayed in a restaurant or a shoppingmall irrespective of your status identity... In Singapore you don't sayanything, DO YOU? YOU wouldn't dare to eat in public during Ramadan, in Dubai . YOU would not dare to go out without your head covered in Jeddah YOU would not dare tobuy an employee of the telephone exchange in London at 10 pounds (Rs.650) a month to, 'see to it that my STD and ISD calls are billed tosomeone else.' YOU would not dare tospeed beyond 55 mph (88 km/h) in Washington and then tell the trafficcop,'Jaanta hai main kaun hoon (Do you know who I am?). I am so andso'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 spitPaan on the streets of Tokyo ? Why don't YOU use examination jockeys orbuy fake certificates in Boston ??? We are still talking of the sameYOU. YOU who can respectand conform to a foreign system in other countries but cannot in yourown. You who will throw papers and cigarettes on the road the momentyou touch Indian ground. If you can be an involved and appreciativecitizen in an alien country, why cannot you be the same here in India ?
