How I was ragged at IIT Delhi and why it was not a joke : Sujit Saraf

This is an article written by Sujit Saraf with his straightforward comparisons of ragging and hazing , it is the article of an international acclaim that forced IIT to take the matter more than seriously.The courtesy of the article is disclosed but it is freely available at websites and can be searched at google search
(Sujit Saraf is a film-maker and playwright who lives in California.He has been associated with IIT Delhi both as a student and an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. He isa member of the PACE Anti-Ragging Cell.)
Author: Sujit Saraf Institution: IIT Delhi Years: 1989- Written on 1 July 2004I went to IIT Delhi in the fall of nineteen eighty seven. I had beenliving in Delhi for two years but I was still a small-town boy fromBihar, intimidated by tall buildings and a steady stream of traffic.Even now, after television and the internet and all that, I meetpeople in my town who, when told about my college and career, respond- ITI? ek hamaare yahaan bhii hai.When I arrived at my hostel inside the IIT campus, I found a noticeposted in the lobby, saying 'Ragging is banned in the Institute.' Ihad come with horrible stories of ragging in mind, told by friends,relatives and well-wishers. My father, whose knowledge of college lifewas thirty years out of date, wrote me in a letter that I was to 'takecare to avoid rigging in IIT'. I remember he mis-spelt the word, andhe seemed to think my participation was voluntary.I entered the hostel, was given my room, and transferred my luggageinto it. I was on my knees ten minutes later with a leash around myneck, announcing my name at the top of my voice and reciting thehostel pledge, which granted every senior the right to fuck me in thearse, then bust it into eight thousand pieces, mash some pieces into abharta, and feed the rest to the dogs of the hostel warden.It sounds funny now, even to me.We did many things in that one month that now appear harmless andamusing. We stood on benches in the dining hall and recited thenational anthem, we crawled on all fours and barked like dogs, wemarched backwards in unison, we wore our clothes inside out, we ranerrands for our seniors, we brought them cigarettes and Campa Cola, wecleaned their rooms and made their beds, we did push-ups in thestreet, we barked and shouted and whispered and lived our livesaccording to the prescriptions of boys barely a year older than us.Finally, we dropped our trousers so they could look at our penises. Weheld one another's penises and estimated their lengths, we formed longhuman trains – each train car holding the penis of the car in front –and whistled our way through hostel corridors at top speed, turningleft and right in response to semaphores controlled by our seniors. Weformed human pyramids, simulated orgies, stripped naked, then wore ourunderpants over our pants, turning ourselves into 'The Phantom' ofcomic books. After so many years, I can list these 'forms of ragging'dispassionately, but no one should be misled. When an eighteen yearold boy stands naked to be inspected by ten leering animals, heshudders in the bottom of his heart. Brutality and oppression remainjust that, no matter the name chosen for them, no matter thecircumstances in which they are exercised.Who were these seniors, and why did they humiliate us so? They seemedpowerful then, but they were boys like us, older by a year or two orthree. They had endured similar humiliation in their time. Theirseniority in the hostel gave them, for the first time in their lives,power over other human beings – power to command fear, subjugate andhumiliate. They exercised this power with abandon, and they haddeveloped countless theories – from the facetious to the philosophical- to support their sadism. Ragging forces you to stay up late, theysaid, and this is useful when you must prepare for difficultexaminations. Ragging breaks the ice between seniors and juniors.Ragging brings the freshman – or the 'fachchaa' - into intimatecontact with peers and seniors, and this turns the hostel into a home.Ragging helps the freshman break out of his shell and lose hisinhibitions. And finally, said our seniors sententiously, raggingteaches you humility. It prepares you for the 'real' world.Presumably, if you have been insulted a sufficient number of times incollege, you will have acquired the virtue of patience when your bossinsults you in the real world. Like a well trained dog, you will notbark and lose your job. Instead, you will wag your tail, look theother way, and pretend the abuse was meant for someone else. Ourseniors proclaimed - and some actually believed - that they hadacquired this wisdom through age and experience, and they were nowanxious to pass it down to us. Many were genuinely surprised that wewere not grateful for this favour.These arguments did not wash with us, of course. I was supposed tocome closer to my peers after our mutual penis-measuring ceremony.Shared humiliation was supposed to draw us close together. Instead itboxed us into shells. It destroyed our first foray into adulthood. Itrobbed us of valuable moments in our lives. It turned our first monthin college into a nightmare.As our first year passed, so did memories of our humiliation. Life inthe hostel became pleasant once we realized we could walk about withour pants on, and did not need to spring to attention whenever asenior passed us. Six months later, ragging was an amusing episode inour past. Twelve months later, most of us firmly believed it was ourduty to pass on the wisdom we had acquired through age and experience.We ragged the next class of freshmen ferociously and methodically, andwere genuinely surprised that they were not grateful for this favour.Some people in my batch forced a freshman to sit on a corn-cob and hadhim smoke a cigarette with the lit end inside his mouth. That incidentbecame a ragging 'case', drew much attention, lead to the expulsion ofthe raggers, and incited a short-lived signature campaign to defendthe raggers as boys having fun.I began a 'stop ragging' campaign that died quickly when neither mybatch-mates, nor the freshmen I was trying to save, appearedenthusiastic. For my batch-mates, the logic of ragging wasirrefutable. They now had happy memories of their own initiation intohostel life, and could not remember ever having disliked it. Forfreshmen, getting ragged for a month was a rite of passage that wouldensure them free books and the patronage of someone powerful. It waseasier to 'get it over with' than be ostracized (so they were told)for the rest of their stay in the hostel. When they were led onleashes, some had ingratiating smiles on their facesMy seniors were wrong. I never managed to strike a friendship with anyof them, unable to forget the moments of humiliation. When I left IIT,everyone I counted as a friend was someone I had met after the raggingperiod. After travelling the entire world, working at many jobs inmany capacities and passing through many stages in life, I have neverfound any use for the education my seniors so generously imparted tome. I was never called upon to suffer humiliation in silence, barklike a dog to break the ice with my peers, managers or sub-ordinates,or insult my co-workers to gain their confidence. But of course, myseniors had no inkling of the real world themselves. They were newlypubescent boys who fancied themselves to be men. After all thepretentious talk of their responsibility to make men out of us, theirentire exercise of power came down to the scrutiny of a shrivelled-uppenis, of a modest teenager brought up by conservative parentsstanding naked amidst ten soulless boys, trembling in horror, hispants wrapped about his ankles. Ragging is a case study for SigmundFreud, nothing more.I have often wondered why ragging never comes to an end, in spite ofall the noise made about it among professors, politicians and theparents of boys who suffer it. IIT had, in my time, a disciplinarycommittee of professors whose job was to police ragging by makingsurprise visits to hostels. They drove in a tell-tale white Marutivan, whose arrival was announced by a freshman posted at the entrancelong before the professors had time to open the doors, get out of thevan and lumber into the hostel. The wise professors would find a groupof seniors giving an intense tutorial to freshmen on academic life inIIT, and go home to sleep in peace. The disciplinary committee – whosevery name made it ridiculous, because we called it 'disco' – spent itstime discussing cases of ragging, fixing proportionate punishment,deciding what was 'mental ragging' and what was 'physical ragging'over endless cups of chai in somnolent meetings. Like all othercommittees, its function was to manage ragging - not stop it - and toprevent incidents of ragging from ballooning into 'cases'. Like allother committees, it was also inept at its job, so we had one or two'cases' every year which made their way into newspapers, caused muchheartburn, and resulted in the expulsion of those who had 'oversteppedthe bounds', after which everyone was satisfied that something hadbeen done.I do not want to over-simplify the situation. Even if the faculty atcolleges were sincere about stopping ragging, and even if they had thesupport of student representatives, it is unlikely that ragging willcompletely stop. Educational seminars, sensitization classes andinformation dissemination may help but, as the all-forgiving clicheinsists, boys will be boys. I remember how we sniggered at suchlectures, how little respect we had for all attempts to discipline us,and with what ridicule we regarded the notice saying 'Ragging isbanned in the Institute'. Years later, when I went back to teach inIIT, I asked my students – all freshmen – whether they were beingragged in their hostels, and if I could do anything to help them. Wehave no such thing nowadays, I was told. Your time is now gone, theysaid, as are the problems of your time. I knew they were lying, andthere was little I could do about it.Ragging is not an exclusively Indian phenomenon. We have no monopolyon brutality. Hazing rituals are common in the 'Greek societies' onAmerican campuses. My room-mate at Berkeley nearly died at aninitiation ritual in his fraternity, where he was made to drink manyglasses of vodka in a short period of time. There is a very importantdifference between hazing in Greek societies and ragging in Indiancollege hostels. Membership to a Greek society is voluntary. Those whostudy at a university do not have to become members, and most do not.Those who study in IIT must become members of hostels - this may havechanged since my days - and suffer the humiliation that comes with it.Aside from the Greek societies, however, there is little or no raggingin the dormitories on American campuses. At my dormitory in Berkeley,we went on an overnight retreat and had coffee-socials to break theice between newcomers and old-timers. We ate together, chatted, playedracquetball and squash, watched football games, and these brought uscloser. The very concept of ragging was unknown. I cannot say thiswith certainty, but this may be because American college students aremuch closer to adulthood. Many are already in their twenties, mosthave to earn their way through college or take loans to pay for theireducation, and almost all are on their own. Their attitude to collegeis very different from that of Indian boys, who have been dispatchedto the campus by loving parents, borne on a cushion of money andsupport that they did not earn.A college campus cannot exist completely outside the system thatenfolds it. The prevention of ragging through draconian rules may beimpossible. You cannot imprison freshmen into a hostel of their own,forbid contact between freshmen and seniors, or electrocute seniorswho humiliate a freshman. Many of the frustrations that a studentexpresses through ragging are really brought by him from the worldoutside the campus. Given a chance to release those feelings, he will.The reason there is little or no ragging on American campuses may justbe that college students are adults, and are treated as such. They donot spring up with a 'Sir' when professors walk in, they areencouraged to argue and protest, they live in relatively freeenvironments where the only restricted activity is that which harmsothers. If Indian students were shown the same respect, they may beginto find ragging juvenile. There remains no reason, in the twenty firstcentury, to segregate voting-age adults into unisex dormitories. Boysand girls should live in the same hostel. They should come to theirhostels and leave them as they please, with no curfew hours. Theyshould be allowed to mix freely, speak freely, and enjoy everyprivilege an adult is entitled to. They are eighteen, they can takecare of themselves. Should they violate rules or break the law, theyshould receive proportionate punishment. These ideas may createconditions that make ragging redundant and allow it to wither away.
(Sujit Saraf is a film-maker and playwright who lives in California.He has been associated with IIT Delhi both as a student and anassistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. He isa member of the PACE Anti-Ragging Cell.)

We, the bangalore boys :You are our burden ,USA

Recently Barack obama said to have discussed following at MIT boston
''I understand that the challenges facing our economy didn't start the day George Bush took office and they won't end the day he leaves. Some are partly the result of forces that have globalized our economy over the last several decades -- revolutions in communication and technology have sent jobs wherever there's an internet connection; that have forced children in Raleigh and Boston to compete for those jobs with children in Bangalore and Beijing. We live in a more competitive world, and that is a fact that cannot be reversed,'' Obama said in a speech in North Carolina that kicked off what his campaign said was a two-week tour across the US aimed at sharing his economic vision.

This is president of united states dear concerns for helplessness in the knowledge war of his motherland with the rival third world countries..his straightforward fear from bangalore and beijing, where united states find it easier to win in a hard war but in soft wars that India is playing and winning too is beyond someone's capablity to win anyway.

So here we are ,the the bangalore boys : India's knowledge warriors, Mr. Obama.

We are exactly what you are afraid of .

Where the graduates of your country are tought to learn some basic concepts of technology at graduation level,we are the ones who are bored of doing those when we prepare for entrance at our tech.schools.
Some of the technology courses that your boys do in whole year we complete in just half of that time

Where your boys have a uni- professional attitude, we, the bangalore boys are the ones with an engineering degree , handling more than one professions ,knowing everything about intellectual property rights ,management , economics , learning wherever we lay our hands , knowing about the minute details of not only our n your economy , but of the whole world .

We are what you are afraid of.

For long you kept on calling africans as whitemen burden ,and here we have made you as our burden ,

when half of your youth goes for disco parties , a child in bangalore lits a batti , when there is no light at home .

When half of your youth bunks classes ,a child in bangalore learns at sarwashiksha abhiyan here

When you distribute laptops to your child where he does something more than instant messaging ,a child in bangalore seeks a mid day meal at school , so that he can study with a contented stomach.

When your youth seek admission to your set universities , you find we people hinder your way ahead .

When you take an internet test : gmat ,toefl, gre anything , we , the bangalore boys prepare for it and win it

Here we are,Mr.Obama and thats our attitude :We the bangalore boys : You always need to be afraid of .

Swami Vivekananda's Speech

The World Parliament of Religions, Chicago

WELCOME ADDRESS - Chicago, Sept 11, 1893
Sisters and Brothers of America,It fills my heart with joy unspeakable to rise in response to the warm and cordial welcome which you have given us. I thank you in the name of the most ancient order of monks in the world; I thank you in the name of the mother of religions, and I thank you in the name of millions and millions of Hindu people of all classes and sects.My thanks, also, to some of the speakers on this platform who, referring to the delegates from the Orient, have told you that these men from far-off nations may well claim the honor of bearing to different lands the idea of toleration. I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance. We believe not only in universal toleration, but we accept all religions as true. I am proud to belong to a nation which has sheltered the persecuted and the refugees of all religions and all nations of the earth. I am proud to tell you that we have gathered in our bosom the purest remnant of the Israelites, who came to Southern India and took refuge with us in the very year in which their holy temple was shattered to pieces by Roman tyranny. I am proud to belong to the religion which has sheltered and is still fostering the remnant of the grand Zoroastrian nation. I will quote to you, brethren, a few lines from a hymn which I remember to have repeated from my earliest boyhood, which is every day repeated by millions of human beings: "As the different streams having their sources in different paths which men take through different tendencies, various though they appear, crooked or straight, all lead to Thee."The present convention, which is one of the most august assemblies ever held, is in itself a vindication, a declaration to the world of the wonderful doctrine preached in the Gita: "Whosoever comes to Me, through whatsoever form, I reach him; all men are struggling through paths which in the end lead to me." Sectarianism, bigotry, and its horrible descendant, fanaticism, have long possessed this beautiful earth. They have filled the earth with violence, drenched it often and often with human blood, destroyed civilization and sent whole nations to despair. Had it not been for these horrible demons, human society would be far more advanced than it is now. But their time is come; and I fervently hope that the bell that tolled this morning in honor of this convention may be the death-knell of all fanaticism, of all persecutions with the sword or with the pen, and of all uncharitable feelings between persons wending their way to the same goal.

India fights United States

Here's a story : from 17th century Kerala: The Portuguese had anchored off the Malabar coast and were received with warmth by the king Zamorin. After a few days, the palace guards rush breathless into the court, lit with alarm. "Your Majesty, the foreigners are on the hill slopes," they report. "uprooting pepper vines and carrying them away to the ships. If they begin to grow these in their lands we will lose our trade." The Zamorin is unperturbed: "Ah, don't worry too much. They may take the vines but how can they take our monsoons." Such was India's calm then, it had an extreme generosity and a willingness to share its wealth with the world.

By October, 1996 when the prestigious New Scientist magazine wrote under the title, "Pirates in the garden of India", India's sanguine magnanimity was to end. A crisis was brewing. India had to do something.Universities in united states had started big research projects on what are "dadi ma ke nuskhe "in India, and register patents in US before India does.India had to do something.

And the war began.........

In May, 1995 the US Patent Office granted to the University of Mississippi Medical Center a patent [#5,401,504] for "Use of Turmeric in Wound Healing."
Well, well, well. Some discovery, that. Indians grow up with a constant awareness of turmeric. It permeates their life. It is an easy and generous plant [curcurma longa] that grows throughout the sub-continent. The tuber when dried keeps practically forever. It is a condiment that adds character to Indian food and helps digestion. Turmeric powder heals open wounds. Drunk with warm milk, it stems coughs, cures colds and comforts throats. Indians paint doorways with turmeric paste as an insecticide. Women in the south make a depilatory skin cream with it. Add the juice of fresh lime to dry turmeric, let it marinate for three days, dry it in the sun and grind it to a fine powder and voila, you have the brilliant red kunkum that 'dots' Indian women's foreheads and surrounds the gods in the temples.Roots are exchanged between people as a formal symbol of goodwill. Indians place freshly uprooted plants at the altar during Pongal and offer worship.
(if you any other use of termuric then write as a comment)
For Indians turmeric is a benevolent goddess. For sound reasons, it transpires. Indian physicians had always packed their kits with turmeric. Now West's formal research was confirming many of its virtues. It is now believed to be able to treat dysentery, arthritis, ulcers and even some cancers. It is also found to protect the liver.Turmeric's grace is stunning cancer researchers.

India's Fightback.................

Consider the implication of 'turmeric patent' #5,401,504. If an expatriate Indian in America sprinkles turmeric powder -- just as her ancestors in India have done for centuries-- on her child's scrape, she would in fact be infringing US patent laws and was open to prosecution.

The patent was promptly challenged by Dr. R A Mashelkar, an Indian scientist who has done much to awaken India to Intellectual Property Rights issues. After four months of submissions it was established that the use of turmeric as a healing agent was well-known in India. For some centuries, one is tempted to add. The patent was annulled.

But there were more battles ahead.

In 1996, Vandana Shiva -- an icon for Third World Knowledge Rights -- began to challenge the patent granted to the firm of W.R.Grace & Co by the European Patent Office, Munich for 'fungicidal uses of neem oil'. Now, it so happens that neem is as much a divine object in India as turmeric is. With far less education than modern scientists the Indian farmer over the ages had integrated neem into his work. It is a part of India's religious life, to sublimate anything of value to divine levels in order to engender an esteem and sensitivity for it. Shiva and Ajay Phadke [who had researched neem for Rhone Poulenc in India] flagged ancient Indian texts for their eminences in Munich to convince them that there was no 'novelty' factor in neem's magical properties that Grace had unveiled-- Indians had known them for long. This patent too was vacated.

India Wins...........

Two battles won indeed, but there are many ahead. London's Observer reported that there were more than 100 Indian plants awaiting grant at the US patent office. And patents have already have been granted to uses of Amla, Jar Amla, Anar, Salai, Dudhi, Gulmendhi, Bagbherenda, Karela, Rangoon-ki-bel, Erand, Vilayetishisham, Chamkura etc, all household Indian names.These need to be vacated.

Bio-piracy doesn't affect just India. Much of Africa and Latin America are prowling grounds for First World's knowledge pirates.

But India is emerging as a vocal and effective battler against the Untes States' Knowledge pirates.

Whenthe US introduced IPRs in the Uruguay Round as a new issue, it accused the Third World of 'piracy'. The estimates provided for royalties lost in agricultural chemicals are US$202 million and US$2,545 million for pharmaceuticals.

However, as the RURAL ADVANCEMENT AND FOUNDATION INTERNATIONAL(CANADA), in Canada has shown, if the contribution of Third World peasants and tribals is taken into account, the roles are dramatically reversed: the US owes US$302 million in royalties for agriculture and $5,097 million for pharmaceuticals to Third World countries."

In these two biological industry sectors alone, the US owes $2.7 billion to the Third World. This debt will not be paid by the US unless we have our biodiversity legislation in place.

India won the battle ,but there is a need to keep your intellectual rights with yourself.Indians can no longer think like king Zamorin of kerela
Knowledge pirates of united states steal monsoons also.......

THREE SECRETS OF HAPPINESS.............

We all know that money can’t buy happiness … but many times we act as if we’d be happier with a bit more money. We are conditioned to want to be rich (when we know the rich aren’t happy either); we are trained to want the latest gadget or style that television tells us to want; we want to earn more money because then we’ll have the good life.But none of that will bring us happiness. No matter how much we earn, no matter how much we have in the bank, no matter how nice our clothing or cars or toys, none of it will make us happier. And the sad thing is that it could take us decades of pursuing wealth and luxury items before we realize this.So what will bring us happiness? Luckily, it’s three things that don’t cost a thing. These three things have been proven by research — surveys of hundreds of thousands of people about what they have, what their lives are like, and how happy they are.Here they are, the Three Secrets to Happiness:

1. Good relationships- We have a human need to be close, to be intimate, with other human beings. Having good, supportive friendships, a strong marriage or close and loving relationships with our family members will make us much more likely to be happy. Action steps: Take time, today, to spend time with your loved ones, to tell them what they mean to you, to listen to them, and develop your relationship with them.

2. Positive thinking- I’m obviously a big proponent of positive thinking as the best way to achieve your goals, but it turns out that it can lead to happiness too. Optimism and self-esteem are some of the best indicators of people who lead happy lives. Happy people feel empowered, in control of their lives, and have a positive outlook on life. Action steps: Make positive thinking a habit. In fact, this should be one of the first habits you develop. Get into the habit of squashing all negative thoughts and replacing them with positive ones. Instead of “I can’t” think “I can”. It may sound corny, but it has worked for me, every time.

3. Flow-This is a popular concept on the Internet these days — the state we enter when we are completely focused on the work or task before us. We are so immersed in our task that we lose track of time. Having work and leisure that gets you in this state of flow will almost undoubtedly lead to happiness. People find greatest enjoyment not when they’re passively mindless, but when they’re absorbed in a mindful challenge. Action steps: Find work that you’re passionate about. Seriously — this is an extremely important step. Find hobbies that you’re passionate about. Turn off the TV — this is the opposite of flow — and get outside and do something that truly engages you.You’ve been given the Three Secrets to Happiness. Don’t waste them!

Waaaaaater..........

What do you, the trees, and a hamster have in common? Give up? You all need water. All living things must have water to survive, whether they get it from a water fountain, a rain cloud, or a little bottle attached to the side of a hamster cage.Without water, your body would stop working properly. Water makes up more than half of your body weight and a person can't survive for more than a few days without it. Why? Your body has lots of important jobs and it needs water to do many of them. For instance, your blood, which contains a lot of water, carries oxygen to all the cells of your body. Without oxygen, those tiny cells would die and your body would stop working.Water is also in lymph (say: limf), a fluid that is part of your immune system, which helps you fight off illness. You need water to digest your food and get rid of waste, too. Water is needed for digestive juices, urine (pee), and poop. And you can bet that water is the main ingredient in perspiration, also called sweat.In addition to being an important part of the fluids in your body, each cell depends on water to function normally.Your body doesn't get water only from drinking water. Any fluid you drink will contain water, but water and milk are the best choices. Lots of foods contain water, too. Fruit contains quite a bit of water, which you could probably tell if you've ever bitten into a peach or plum and felt the juices dripping down your chin! Vegetables, too, contain a lot of water. Think of slicing into a fat tomato from the garden or crunching into a crisp stalk of celery.

Bill Gates' 11 Rules of Life...

Bill Gates recently gave a speech at a High School about 11 things they did not and will not learn in school. He talks about how feel-good, politically correct teachings created a generation of kids with no concept of reality and how this concept set them up for failure in the real world.

Rule 1 : Life is not fair - get used to it!

Rule 2: The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3: You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.

Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.

Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.

Kalam's : India Vision 2020

Indian civilisational heritage is built on universal spirit. India always stood for friendship and extends warm hands to the whole world. We have made significant achievements in the last 50 years in food production, health sector, higher education, media and mass communication, industrial infrastructure, information technology, science and technology and defence. Our nation is endowed with natural resources, vibrant people and traditional value system. In spite of these resources, a number of our people are below the poverty line, undernourished and lack primary education itself. Our aim is to empower them to be poverty free, healthy and literate. A country needs to have the characteristics as defined in Thirukkural, composed over 2,000 years ago:"Pini inmai Selvam Vilaivinbam Emam, aniyenba Nattirkiv vainthu."That is, "The important elements that constitute a nation are: being disease free; wealth; high productivity; harmonious living and strong defence." All our efforts should be focused towards building these five elements at various levels in a coherent and in an integrated manner. I am convinced that our nation with a strong, vibrant and billion plus population can contribute to realise these elements.
Today our country is facing challenges such as cross-border terrorism, certain internal conflicts and unemployment. To face these challenges, there must be a vision to ensure focused action of one billion citizens of this great country with varied capabilities.
What can be that vision? It can be none other than transforming India into a developed nation. Can the government alone achieve this vision? Now, we need a movement in the country. This is the time to ignite the minds of the people for this movement. We will work for it. We cannot emerge as a developed nation if we do not learn to transact with speed. I recall the saintly poet Kabir's wisdom to us: "Kaal kare so aaj kar, aaj kare so ab". that means, "What you want to do tomorrow do it today, and what you want to do today do it now."This vision of developed nation needs to be achieved with Parliamentary democracy, which is the core of our governance system. The basic structure of our Constitution has stood the test of time. I am confident that it will continue to be responsive to the demands of changing situations. The first and foremost task is to respect and uphold the Constitutional processes, in the best interest of our people and our nation, without fear or favour and with fairness and firmness.India is a Union of States based on the framework of co-operative federalism. Within the co-operative framework, there is also a requirement to develop competitive strengths for the States so that they can excel at the national level and the global level. Competitiveness helps in ensuring economic and managerial efficiency and to be creative to meet new challenges. These are essential to survive and prosper in a fast changing world of today. In addition, in order to strengthen democratic processes and institution, we should all truly strive for substantive decentralisation.
I wish to emphasise my unflinching commitment to the principle of secularism, which is the cornerstone of our nationhood and which is the key feature of our civilisational strength. During the last one year I met a number of spiritual leaders of all religions. They all echoed one message, that is, unity of minds and hearts of our peple will happen and we will see the golden age of our country, very soon. I would like to endeavour to work for bringing about unity of minds among the divergent traditions of our country.
Along with speedy development aimed at elimination of poverty and unemployment, national security has to be recognised by every Indian as a national priority. Indeed, making India strong and self reliant -- economically, socially and militarily -- is our foremost duty to our motherland and to ourselves and to our future generations.When the child is empowered by the parents, at various phases of growth, the child transforms into a responsible citizen. When the teacher is empowered with knowledge and experience, good young human beings with value systems take shape. When individual or a team is empowered with technology, transformation to higher potential for achievement is assured. When the leader of any institution empowers his or her people, leaders are born who can change the nation in multiple areas. When the women are empowered, society with stability gets assured. When the politcal leaders of the nation empower the people through visionary policies, the prosperity of the nation is certain. The medium for transformation to developed India is the empowerment at various levels with power of knowledge. A roadmap of realising this vision of developed India is in front of us.At this juncture, I recall a beautiful though of Dr G G Swell, an eminent leader from the North East: "We must have a mental infrastructure. Mental infrastructure means sincerity of purpose, of vision, or purity of heart and mind."When I travel across our nation, when I hear the sound of waves of the three seas around the shores of my country, when I experience the breeze of wind from the mighty Himalayas, when I see the bio-diversity of North-East and our islands and when I feel the warmth from the western desert, I hear the voice of the youth: "When can I sing the song of India?" What can be the answer? I have so far interacted with over 50,000 school children during the past one year. I would like to share with you my answer to the urge of these children. If youth have to sing the song of India, India should become a developed country which is free from poverty, illiteracy and unemployment and is buoyant with economic prosperity, national security and internal harmony.To create this transformation we all have to resolve ourselves to work and sweat for the national development. I would like to share the song of youth, which I normally recite with the school children, here at this juncture. I am very happy to see the children present here representing the future generation. Through them I would like to convey the song of youth to all children of our country and the people.As a young citizen of India, armed with technology, knowledge and love for my nation, I realise, small aim is a crime.I will work and sweat for a great vision, the vision of transforming India into a developed nation, powered by economic strength with value system.I am one of the citizens of billion; Only the vision will ignite the billion souls.It has entered into me; The ignited soul compared to any resource is the most powerful resource on the earth, above the earth under the earth.I will keep the lamp of knowledge burning to achieve the vision - Developed India. If we work and sweat for the great vision with ignited minds, the transformation leading to birth of vibrant developed India will happen. This song, when sung in our own beautiful languages will unite our minds for action.