The Indian Dream

It's the year 2025, I can see sweeping highways, clean roads, and proud institutions, towering industries…..I can see development stamped on every single feature of the landscape. Why is it so difficult to believe that India can be this dream? Why, when we can already see it taking shape?

The word "superpower" drags up impossible images in our minds…because it is undefined. We cower in its shadow of ambiguity and never bother to examine the word and realize how close we are. In simple words, a superpower is a nation with a high level economic, military and international influence.

And where exactly does India fall behind?

You cannot claim that a nation, which is one of the 3 countries of the world to build its own supercomputer, which controls 4th largest pharmaceutical industry and where 100 of the Fortune 500 companies operate (as compared to 33 in China) is lagging behind in economic growth. India has its own unique international policy and has set an example of dignity, peace and pride when many other nations have failed.

Why are we all so quick to be cynical about our own country? Pearl Buck once said "The young do not know enough and yearn for the impossible…yet they achieve it generation after generation". We have become stuck in a negative paradigm. We fail to see that 20 years is a long span of time. 20 years ago, who would have thought that India's IIT's and IIM's would become world-class institutions? Or those Indian farmers would be using mobiles? India has one of the Wonders of the World and is the largest functioning democracy, we are one of the 6 nations of the world to launch satellites, the 5 th largest commercial vehicle manufacturers IN THE WORLD and they say 9 out 10 diamonds sold anywhere pass through India. These are just a few examples.

These are the flames that begin revolutions. I'm not saying that we will wake up tomorrow and India will be a superpower. I'm saying this is how it begins. Many of us feel that with our current problems of corruption, poverty, illiteracy, and population…the path is rough and difficult. However, I think we have gotten so used to this image that we haven't really understood the statistics…According to the World Bank, poverty is at 26%, decreasing every year by approx 10%. Literacy and Life Expectancy are at 65 and 69% respectively. and are increasing at approx 9% p.a. Project these figures for 2025…aren't our problems over? This is progress.

India's population, according to me, is not an unsolvable disaster. Every country has its problems; we should stop clinging to a couple of setbacks and should focus on the wealth we possess in terms of culture, intelligence, entrepreneurial skills….even population. Our population is the core reason as to why India is earning 4bn US$ through outsourcing only. As literacy, education and life expectancy continue to increase India will be the international hub of knowledge power as well. Our present demographics will be our strength while other nations are battling a declining growth rate.

Lastly, I would like to urge all of you to wake up and smell the coffee, stop being blind to the signs. For any nation to really develop, it is important that its people believe it can. If we always give up on things that seem "too idealistic" we would never have electricity, government or even freedom. It has been 58 years since Independence and we have already changed from a raw, plundered country to a nation emerging with immense strength in the global world. I cannot believe that in 20 years we will not be able to take that one extra step into the position of a superpower.

Svani Parekh

Small equals BIG - The small steps we can take to become truly developed

 A wise man once said, “It’s not your aptitude, but your attitude that determines your altitude.”

Stop! Read that previous line again. Let it sink in. Think about it. That’s no ordinary quote. It applies to all of us as individuals and it applies to the society we live in.
All of us are continuously complaining about everything that is not right in our country, in our society and in our college. But none of us ever stops to think, that, is there anything better to do rather than complain. Yes, there is. And that is changing our attitude and changing our way of thinking.

One of the commonest complaints we make is about the filth on our streets. But we never stop to question, where does all the filth come from? Think about it. Aren’t we ourselves the culprits. How many times do we grab a bite to eat and throw candy wrappers, or empty bags of chips, or squashed cold-drink cans, or any other waste onto the street, without giving it so much as a second thought. We need to realize that such thoughtless actions as these detriment our own space. Not just on the street but in college as well. Why can’t we just make the effort to find a garbage bin and make use of it? I mean its there for a purpose. Development requires discipline and if we don’t discipline ourselves, believe me we’re going no where.

Another complaint is that of road rage. We’re complaining that people have no traffic sense, people drive like crazy and so on. I my self have complained so often about this. But look at the hypocrisy. Although we complain about the insane driving of others, we our selves sometimes break traffic rules and become just like the maniacs we complain about. Not using rearview mirrors, hooting unnecessarily, zooming past the traffic lights when the countdown timer is showing just 1 second. These are just some of the examples of road rage. If we ourselves are guilty of the above, then we have no right to complain.

We are the drivers of change. We are the youth of this country. The future of this country. If we just sit back and grumble about what’s wrong with this country, then we’re hell bound. But if we ourselves make a promise to make an effort and do very small things like not littering and not becoming maniac drivers then we’re going places. After all it’s the small things that make up the big picture.

Development doesn’t come easy. Its not that all the developed countries of the world were always like they are today. If that’s what you think, hell you’re wrong. They too faced problems just like we’re facing problems today. But they didn’t just sit back and grumble. They changed their attitude and disciplined themselves. Did the small things which have made them big today.

I’m not saying I'm perfect. I complain and grumble just like all of you do. But today I’ve made a promise to myself to do the small things that will make a difference in the future of this country. And I’m asking for your help. If all of us make a promise to do the small things then we’ll definitely get the big picture and although it will take time, we’ll be a great nation someday. To end I’d like to leave you with a quote by Miyamoto Musahi.

The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.

Shahnawaz Siddiqui (S. Y. B. Com. - IV)

Welcome to Ostrich Country

What is the meaning of the title of this article you might ask? Well, I will explain that later, but first, let us have a look at the thought of Anton Chekhov, Russian physician, short story writer and playwright. Everyone has the same God; only people differ. Read that once again. Let it sink in real good, think about it and make it a part of your life. What Chekhov said can solve all problems in not only in Gujarat but the whole of the world. Today the world is full of religious conflicts. One of the worst examples is Gujarat state in India. We are letting fanatics and extremists take lives in the name of god. We are viewing our brothers and sisters as our enemies. Why is our thinking being influenced by the extremist religious leaders and selfish politicians? We have no right to call ourselves educated if we too, like the uneducated fall into the trap of communal conflict.

God is one, be it Allah, Ram, Krishna, Jesus. These are just names people give to Gods. All religions preach the same thing. Only there ways are different. All of us are children of the same family then why are we killing each other like animals. Why can’t a Muslim live in a Hindu neighbourhood or vice versa, why can’t a Sikh or Muslim sport his beard with pride? Why are Christians being victimized? So what is the problem? The problem is us. We let ourselves be influenced by the underworld dons like Dawood Ibrahim and extremists like Tiger Memon and Babu Bajrangi. Who are these people? Why do they have so much power? These inhuman beasts have so much power only because we let them have it by not speaking against them. If Hindus and Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Jews stand together and fight against these inhuman fanatics then this country will be freed of communal conflict. If a Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian or a Jew can truly from the bottom of his heart remove all the malice for his fellow brothers and sisters then only can we achieve peace. There is no point in me having Hindu, Christian, Sikh or Jew friends, when at the bottom of my heart all I feel for them is hatred. That is not the way forward. We need to mix with people of all religions and all cultures. That is the only way to develop. The president of this country, Hounarable APJ Abdul Kalam, a devout Muslim, reads and follows the teachings of the Bhagvad Gita. Why then, can’t the people of his nation live in peace and harmony?

Now you would ask what the title of this article means. India our country has become ostrich land. All of us our ostriches. Why you might ask? When the ostrich feels insecure it has a very peculiar behaviour pattern. It buries its head in the ground. So as long as it doesn’t see the cause of its insecurity it feels safe. We too have become like the ostrich. We hide in our homes and so long as we don’t see the people who are destroying our country we feel safe. We are letting inhuman creatures destroy our beautiful country. It’s about time we stopped being ostriches and faced the evils in our country.

Our ostrich-like behavior is typically exemplified by our decision not to screen Parzania in Gujarat, by our lack of interest in the problems being faced by our brothers and sisters in Kashmir and in the countless other acts of ignoring problems that continue to stare us in the face so blatantly. It’s high time that we all stop being ostriches and step forward like fierce lions to deal with the issues that cripple us. Its high-time we make our Bharat Mata the Mahaan place we so often claim it to be.

Shahnawaz Siddiqui (S. Y. B. Com. - IV)

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