FREEDOM IS NOT FREE

VISION INDIA Close your eyes. Keep them closed for a minute. Dare to dream. Think of a wonderful future in which India is a beautiful place. We are a compassionate and caring society. We are the beacon of courage and integrity. We have eradicated the scourge of poverty. Power cuts and poor governmental services are a thing of the past. We lead the world in many areas of business and technology. The air is unpoluted and our sleep undisturbed. We command respect across the world. We are a society free from crime. People from all nations adhere to the example set by our nation and want to live in India. We can achieve all of this and more, as other countries have done before us! And why not? We have all the ingredients to create a recipe for success- talented people, natural resources, a functioning democracy and an appetite for growth and development. However, have we arrived? Not yet! Have you ever wondered why some societies are more conducive to honest and progressive living than others? It is not a secret. They simply think and act more effectively. They create a climate that rewards honesty and hard work. Just like a road map, it's purpose is to give direction and help people travel with confidence. Similarly, history gives information and civilizations that were once flourishing, but gradually went into oblivion. The ones that survived were those that stood firm on the pillars of values. Political structures are far shorter-lived than moral structures. A great management consultant once said, "Any behaviour that gets rewarded, gets repeated." This is a universal principle. It cuts across countries. It is demonstrated in our homes, offices and societies. When you reward positive behaviour, then that gets repeated too. Values are principles that guide our actions. Positive values, such as integrity, fairness and empathy, result in positive behavior and build a positive society. This, in turn, is conductive to honest living, growth and development. Negative values such as cheating, dishonesty, greed and an inferiority complex result in negative behaviour, generating a negative society. Which becomes conducive to dishonest living. Commonly-practised individual behaviors collectively from a society culture which, in turn, gets labelled as either positive or negative. Such behaviour patterns are reflected in the quality of life that people lead. Positive culture is reflected as an asset on the balance sheet of society. Every nation and society carries a brand equity. James Collins and Jerry Porras, authors of the best-selling book, Built to Last, conducted a study of companies that, in their opinion, were "visionary companies". They found some common characteristics in all these companies: 1. They had clearly-defined core values. 2. They communicated their core values. 3. They did not deviate from their core values. 4. They never compromised on their core values. 5. All the companies' practices and procedures were totally linked to their core value. What stops a country from running on the same lines as above? There are countries that run on core values! The American Constitution, in the last 250 years or so, has been amended close to 10 times, versus the Indian Constitution, which has had close to 100 amendments in the last 50 years. A farmer was spraying insecticides in his apple orchard. A passerby said, "The way you are spraying insecticides, you really must have something against the insects." The farmer replied, "No, I'm not against the insects, but I am certainly for the apples." He added further, "I don't go around spraying insecticides all over the world. I only spray on the ones that eat my apple." Is there a message in this story? You bet there is! If I am not for myself, then who is? And if I am only for myself, then what am I? The message is very clear. If, as a citizen, I am not concerned and willing to stand up for my country, then who will? Each one of us, by virtue of being born in this country, took an unwritten oath to build and uphold the integrity of this nation. The question is-are we doing so? Our Youth Need Roots to Grow and Wings to Fly Values are our roots. Success, our wings. The combination of both factors means achieving value-based success in life. This is true liberty. This is FREEDOM. No price is too high to ensure that the torch of liberty must continue to burn forever and ever and ever. Every generation needs to resolve afresh to nurture the plant of freedom and enjoy the rich harvest for themselves and the coming generation. Our youth do not form 100 percent of the nation's population, but they are in fact 100 percent of its future. Youth is the symbol of dynamism, growth and development. The real agents of change are not political or corporate leaders, but the youth. Whenever the world 'youth' and 'dynamism' are mentioned, our minds are drawn to Swami Vivekananda. Swami Vivekananda was a patriotic saint. Once, while addressing a large audience, he repeatedly referred to India as, "My country... my motherland." Someone from the audience asked him. "The whole world is your country. Why do you limit yourself to geographical boundaries?" Sawami Vivekananda replied, " A country is like a mother. If you don't repeat your own mother, how will you respect someone else's mother?" SERVING THE NATION IS NOT A SACRIFICE, BUT A PRIVILAGE The said part is, in India today it is difficult to find an India. Where is the Indian? You find a Gujrati, a Marathi, a Bengali, a Punjabi, but where is the Indian? I have sometimes been asked by people, what's wrong with being Gujrati, Punjabi, Bengali or Madrasee? My answer is, if it is at the cost of the nation, it is wrong. Is it a case of confused identities or misplaced priorities? We have to be Indian first, before we are anything else. Feelings of regionalism, communalism, casteism and the absence of a strong national sentiment plague the nation and make it possible for power-hungry politicians to convert our democracy into anarchy. Merit has taken a back-seat to vested interests. Non-Resident India's Achievements "Two hundred thousand Americans of Indian origin were reported to have become millionaires in the year 2001. This is approximately 10 percent of the total number of millionaires in the US, making Indians the most prosperous immigrant community in America. The median income for an Indian is twice the $38,000 income of an average American." 1 "The Asian American Hotels Owner's Association (AAHOA), represents more than 8,500 members representing over 50 percent of the economy's lodging properties and nearly 37 percent of all hotel properties in the United States." 2 "Indians abroad are doing us proud. They may account for just 2 percent of India's population, but their annual income of $160 billion (Rs.7,84,000 crore) is one-third of India's national income. They are in senior positions in any big company that you name... Being French in France is easy. But being Indian in India is difficult." 3 What does this go to show? It proves that most NRIs are doing well. Why? The answer lies in one's surroundings. In a good environment, a marginal performer does well, whereas a good performer excels. The reverse is also 1. The Economic Times, 16 May 2003. 2. Global Indian Community, 9January 2004. 3. Vikas Thapar, an NRI venture capitalist, was quoted in Indian Today, 13 January 2003. true. In a bad environment, a good performer's output comes down. Every patriotic Indian agrees that if there is one factor that keeps India from taking off as a global player, it is corruption. What is it that keeps India perpetually poor and makes life miserable for the common citizen? IT IS CORRUPTION. Jobs for sale. Education for sale. Even caste certificates are on sale. A citizen contends with corruption at almost every level in public life, whether he needs to procure a birth certificate or a death certificate. We have been rated the seventh most-corrupt country in the world by Transparency International, an organisation that rates the levels of corruption in countries across the world. How did we land ourselves in this mess? What does it really mean? What will be the repercussions? We know that corruption is widespread and that it feeds on and breeds negativity, immorality and imbalance in our society. It must be stopped. Our newspapers report scams and scandals on a daily basis. It is an endless chain of depressing stories. And these are just the ones that have seen the light of the day. There are still many others that have been brushed under the carpet for posterity. Whether it is the Telgi stamp paper scam, the CAT scam, the Dubey murder, or the all-perceptive mindset of bribery and facilities that we face in our own daily lives, corruption is a cancer that struck our nation. The only time that we, honorable citizens, ever raise an eyebrow is when we become victims. India, in spite of having more natural resources than Singapore, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, etc., remains economically far behind these countries. India probably has the highest pool of talent in the English-speaker world after the United States, which means that we have great potential to be one of the great superpowers. However, the success of a nation does not depend upon its potential alone, but the quality of its people and their current performance. Academic institutions have built a great pool of talent within India which is awaiting utilization by domestic and international corporations to take India to new heights. We are one of the youngest nations in the world, with 54 percent of our population below the age of 25 years and approximately 70 percent below the age of 35 years. What does it mean? We are in a position to fill in the gap for the shortfall of qualified human resources, globally. This happens not by design, but by default, because our population control measures have failed miserably. Regardless of how it happened, the question is-can we turn our human resources into our greatest asset and become global leaders? Mankind has the unique capacity to visualize circumstances, tackle situations, adopt their environment and shape it too. Changing dysfunctional behavior is difficult, but not impossible. Any change, by itself, is uncomfortable. What makes it difficult? The fear of the unknown. Therefore, people prefer to live with known misery than to venture into unknown progress. The real danger, however, lies in evil becoming deep-rooted. In the life of a nation, fifty years is not a very long period, but it is long enough in order to introspect and evaluate our past performance, and most importantly to evaluate the direction we are heading in. Money today has become the sole measure of success. We live in a dog-eat-dog world, where we are selfishly occupied with our own selves. Do we care about our culture and nation anymore? Aren't we leaving behind a poor legacy? These verses written by the poet Iqbal, who died on 21 April 1938, issued a timely warning: to the ignorant or indifferent who don't realize the danger lurking on the horizon. If the citizens do not realize the intensity of the danger, you and your country's existence will be wiped out forever: Vatan ki fikar kar nadan, Musibat aane wali hai, Teri barbadiyon ke mashware hain Aasmano mein. Na samjhoge to milt jaoge, Aei Hindustan walo, Tumhari dastan taq bhi Na hogi dastano mein. An ostrich-like approach to life is, "If you cannot see danger, it means that danger does not exist." Some people think that the only way to find one's peace of mind is to ignore the danger. Today, in India, a concerned citizen feels helpless and lost. He doesn't know where to start. He wants to do something, but doesn't know what. He needs direction and finds none. He is angry, yet scared. An honest person has a real problem. He is not confused but frustrated. He can neither be a part of the system, nor be apart from the system. Hope and trust are what empower us to take calculated risks which are so essential for the development of a society. Without a strong civil society, political and economic structures would fail. Business cannot thrive when there is no trust between producers and consumers, employers and employees. Families and communities fall apart or break up because of a lack of support from one another. Neighbourhoods fail because of the lack of fellow feeling. Civil societies on moral relationships and mutual respect. Our people have been deprived of their basic constitutional and fundamental rights, such as the rights to freedom and equality. They feel helpless when faced with inadequate judicial recourse. Have the ordinary man's dreams turned into nightmares or been realized? Is this India's tryst with destiny that was proclaimed with much fanfare, fifty years ago? According to Prof. Balraj Madhok, "Secularism as accepted and practiced all over the world has three basic postulates: 1. The state shall not distinguish between citizens on the basis of religion or the way of worship; 2. All citizens will be governed by the same laws; 3. All citizens will be equal before the law. India is not a secular state today because we do not fulfil any of these three postulates." Do the following qualify under the definition of secularism? * Reservation based on cast and religion, * Not having a uniform civil code, * Restriction on citizens buying property freely in states other than their home states. Why should't we have a uniform law for all citizens, like countries in the west? In a democracy, legislators are supposed to be representatives of citizens and not the rulers. Any state where an honest citizen is scared of his own government officials, the police and judicial system, is known as a terrorist State. Doesn't that amount to terminating their own citizens and turning them into subjects? Is this not breach of trust? WHO WILL BELL THE CAT? An old store goes: a cat was hunting down all the mice in a hose. The mice, therefore, called a meeting to find a way out of the crisis. They decided to seek the help of a consultant. The consultant advised, "It is actually quite simple. just tie a bell around the cat's neck, so that you will be warned of her moves." He took his fees and was about to leave, when a small mouse squeaked, "Who is going to bell the cat?" The consultant said, "My job is to suggest a solution to your problem,- how ypu go about implementing it, is your concern." The little mouse thought hard. The next day, he drugged the cat. When the cat was fast asleep, he secured the bell around the cat's neck. The moral of the store is: 1. Advice and advisers are often easily available, but execution is difficult. All talkers are not doeders. 2. One can achieve desired results if one can be solution-focussed, far-sighted and willing to translate his vision into action. This is called conviction. We must proceed with the assumption that a solution exists. All that we have to do, is to find it. 3. The creativity and courage of one can save many. One man discovers electricity and all of humanity benefits from it. I heard of a great movie, directed by Memi Leader, called Pay it Forward, in which a teacher gives a class a long-term assignment that will make a difference to the world. Some students helped the poor, some cleaned up roads, while others helped an elderly person cross the street. But there was one boy who had a very clear vision and created a concept called "Pay it forward" rather than backward. He decided to do something for three people who could, say that the help would be contingent upon each of them helping three other people who in turn would make the same commitment and so on going forward. This would create a snow-balling effect giving positive growth, a geometric progression which would make the world a great place to live in. He had it right. What a concept! If each one of us could adopt this concept, this would certainly be a different world! Does a person have to be a rocket-scientist to think this way or have a doctorate in any subject? What does this have to do with academics? If you analyse, the principles underlying this concept and thinking are: 1. Humanity - Humanity is greater than 'a' human. 2. Common good - The greatest good for the greatest number. 3. Positive values - Directed by a noble cause. 4. Desire to optimise charity - Create human capital, rather than parasites. 5. Create a positive society, each one lifting the other. 5. Regenerate society by creating positive social capital. 6. You turn a society from 'taken' into 'givers', without which society starts degenerating. (The recipient can't be just a taker. He has an obligation to be a giver too.) In 1979, I moved to New Jersey from Canada. I had a sales appointment in Newark, which is a high crime area. A major snowstorm was predicted on that day. Normally, people don't leave home, but foolishly, I ventured out. By the time I came out of my appointment, the storm had hit; my car was stuck in about six inches of snow. I don't know if you have ever been scared for your life, but that night I was. In the dark alleys, whenever I saw someone coming by, I would jump into my car, lock myself and duck down. When they left, I tried to get my car out, but without success. Suddenly, I saw a car coming in my direction. The street light fell on the car. I saw an elderly couple and thought that if there was one chance for me to get out, guess what they did? They did not want to stop because they were just scared, but in the lot of snow, you can't go too far. As I came close, the man opened the window half an inch and asked, "What's the matter?" I said, " Sir, my car is stuck. Would you sit inside and I'll punch." He said, "No, you sit inside. I'll punch your car with my car and we will both get out." He got me out alright, but he didn't want to stay there. I went back to thank him. He opened the window and asked again. "Now, what's the matter?" I said, "Sir, I want to thank you." He saw the sincerity in my eyes, looked at me and said, "If you really meant that, then, just the way I stopped for you tonight, whenever you find somebody in trouble, you stop, and you will keep thanking me forever." After he left, I started thinking about what he had said. It took time to register, but the incident taught me three lessons: 1. No matter how strong anyone of us is, we all need each other. None of us can do it alone. 2. It takes a big person to extend a helping hand. 3. There is nothing wrong in asking for help. Since then, most of the time, whenever I have seen someone in distress, I have stopped. When people think about me, guess what I say? "If you really meant that, then, just the way I stopped for you tonight, whenever you find somebody in trouble, you stop, and you will keep thanking me forever." When asked by people, "Why do you stop?" My answer is simple that "I didn't stop because of you. I stopped because of my own selfish reasons. If I were in distress, wouldn't I expect someone to stop for me?" This kind of selfishness is healthy, even if it is labeled as 'selfishness'. The old gentleman, without realising, was practicing the concept of "Pay it Forward" and teaching others a way of life. When and where do we start? WHAT BETTER TIME THAN NOW? WHAT BETTER PLACE THAN INDIA?