Jai Hind. Review on India, General

India is a land of diverse castes, creeds, communities, religions and languages. It is land of rich cultural heritage. It is also the seventh largest and the second most populous country in the world.

Of late India has received a boost in the areas of self-reliance. India has developed nuclear capabilities and has started importing much lesser oil because it has struck oil in its own territory. India is currently undergoing major changes in its economic stature primarily on account of Information Technology revolution. There are certain areas, which India must focus on to build a bright future.

Freedom: When India conducted its nuclear tests, there was such a hue and cry across the world. It is for our ambassadors to bring to the attention of the world that in the last 3000 years of our history people from all over the world have come and invaded us, captured our lands and 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. It is this freedom that we must protect and nurture and build on. If we are not free, no one will respect us. To this end, I feel that nuclear tests were a welcome step. The only thing to be kept in mind is that nuclear capabilities must be used not for aggression, but for self-defense. Freedom is a very sweeping word. It does not only mean political freedom, but also means economic freedom. Only strength respects strength. We must be strong not only as a military power but also as an economic power.

Development: For fifty years we have been a developing nation. It is time we see ourselves as a developed nation. We are among top 5 nations of the world in terms of GDP. We have 10 percent growth rate in most areas. Our poverty levels are falling. Our achievements are being globally recognized today. Yet we lack the self-confidence to see ourselves as a developed nation, self-reliant and self-assured. In order to achieve economic power, we need to capitalize on our resources and build on our strengths. Our biggest resource today is our manpower. The brainpower of our people is being recognized the world over.

Growth: We, as a nation, need to focus on education as that, I feel is the key to growth in India. Rural electrification and development of infrastructure like roads, railways, public transport and communication also hold the key to a faster growth in economic power and creation of an environment conducive to the growth of our country.

Country: We, the people of India who condemn corruption day in and day out, are the first ones to pay a TTE, some cool bribe to get a reserved seat in a crowded train. We pay the traffic policeman to look the other way when caught speeding, a customs official when bringing back high value items from overseas trips etc. So, it is not only the people who ask for bribe, but also people like us who pay, who are to blame. Instead of waiting for others to do something about it, it is time, we, who call ourselves educated and enlightened citizens, took a vow not to give any bribes. This, my friends, is a key to a better India.

Pride: We must take pride in our country, our heritage and our achievements, individually and as a nation. We must stand up to the world. Because I believe that unless we stand up to the world, no one will respect us. We in India, are embarrassed to recognize our own strengths and achievements. We are such a great nation. We have so any amazing success stories but we refuse to acknowledge them. Many would not be aware that 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.

There are millions of such achievements but our media is only obsessed in the bad news and failures and disasters. India’s poor image overseas is entirely created by media, both Indian and overseas. To a lot of foreigners, India is a country of snakes and elephants. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Once in Tel Aviv, the day after a lot of attacks and bombardments and deaths had taken place. The front page of the newspaper had the picture of a Jewish gentleman who in five years had transformed his desert land into an orchid and a granary. It was this inspiring picture that everyone woke up to. The gory details of killings, bombardments, deaths, were inside in the newspaper, buried among other news. In India, we only read about death, sickness, terrorism and crime. If any journalist is reading my review, I would request them to contribute in their own way to help change the way the world looks at us, the way we look at ourselves. At this point, I would like to quote Mahatma Gandhi “We must become the change we want to see in the world''.

We, as a nation are quite obsessed with foreign things. We want foreign shirts and leather jackets, forgetting that 25% these would have been exported out of India. Yet, this obsession with everything imported. We do not realize that self-respect comes with self-reliance.

We say that our government is inefficient. We say that our laws are too old. We say that the municipality does not pick up the garbage. We 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. We say that our country has been fed to the dogs and is the absolute pits. We say, say and say. But, do we ever sit back and think what we have done about it? When in Singapore, we don't throw cigarette butts on the roads or in the stores. We pay $5 to drive through Orchard Road (equivalent of Mahim Causeway or Pedder Road) between 5 PM and 8 PM. In Singapore we do not crib about it.

We wouldn't dare to eat in public during Ramzan, in Dubai. We would not dare to go out without our head covered in Jeddah. We would not dare to buy an employee of the telephone exchange in London at 10 pounds (Rs.650) a month to see to it that our STD and ISD calls are billed to someone else.'' We would not dare to speed beyond 55 mph (88 kmph) in Washington. We wouldn't chuck an empty coconut shell anywhere other than the garbage pail on the beaches in Australia and New Zealand. Why don't we spit Paan on the streets of Tokyo? Why don't we use examination jockeys or buys fake certificates in Boston? We are still talking of the same WE. We who can respect and conform to a foreign system in other countries but cannot in our own. We who will throw papers and cigarettes on the road the moment we touch Indian ground. If we can be an involved and appreciative citizen in an alien country why cannot we be the same here in India.

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''.