[Ram]

Dear fellow compatriots:

I received this email-forward from a dear friend
and was deeply moved.

Some of you may have seen it before already.

I thought I should share it with those of you, who haven't!

Ram

==================================

Dr. Abdul Kalaam's Mail



QUOTE...


I was in Hyderabad giving this lecture, when a 14 year old girl asked me for my autograph. I asked her what her goal in 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 developed nation.

Do you have 10 minutes? Allow me to come back with a vengeance.

Got 10 minutes for your country? If yes, then read; otherwise, the choice is yours.

YOU say that our government is inefficient.
YOU say that our laws are too old.
YOU say that the municipality does not pick up the garbage.
YOU say that the phones don't work, the railways are a joke,
The airline is the worst in the world, mails never reach their destination.
You say 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 on his way to Singapore. Give him a name? YOURS.
Give him a face? YOURS.
YOU walk out of the airport and you are at your International best.
In Singapore you don't throw cigarette butts on the roads or eat in the stores.
YOU are as proud of their Underground Rail links as they are.
You pay $5 (approx. Rs.60) extra to drive through Orchard Road (equivalent of Mahim Causeway or Pedder Road) between 5 PM and 8 PM.
YOU comeback to the parking lot to punch your parking ticket if you have over-stayed, identity.

In Singapore you don't say anything, 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 to buy 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 to someone else."
YOU would not dare to speed beyond 55 mph (88 km/h) in Washington and then tell the traffic cop, "Jaanta hai main kaun hoon (Do you know who I am?). I am so and so’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 spit Paan on the streets of Tokyo?

Why don't YOU use examination jockeys or buy fake certificates in Boston?????

We are still talking of the same YOU.

YOU who can respect and conform to a foreign system in other countries but cannot in your own. You who will throw papers and cigarettes on the road the moment you touch Indian ground.

If you can be an involved and appreciative citizen in an alien country, why cannot you be the same here in India?

Once in an interview, the famous Ex-municipal Commissioner of Bombay, Mr.Tinaikar, had a point to make.
"Rich people’s dogs are walked on the streets to leave their affluent droppings all over the place," he said. "And then the same people turn around to criticize and blame the authorities for inefficiency and dirty pavements. What do they expect the officers to do? Go down with a broom every time their dog feels the pressure in his bowels?

In America every dog owner has to clean up after his pet has done its job.
Same in Japan. Will the Indian citizen do that here?"

He's right.
We go to the polls to choose a government and after that forfeit all responsibility.
We sit back wanting to be pampered and expect the government to do everything for us whilst our contribution is totally negative. We expect the government to clean up but we are not going to stop chucking garbage all over the place nor are we going to stop to pick a up a stray piece of paper and throw it in the bin.
We expect the railways to provide clean bathrooms but we are not going to learn the proper use of bathrooms.
We want Indian Airlines and Air India to provide the best of food and toiletries but we are not going to stop pilfering at the least opportunity.

This applies even to the staff who is known not to pass on the service to the public.

When it comes to burning social issues like those related to women, dowry, girl child and others, we make loud drawing room protestations and continue to do the reverse at home. Our excuse?
"It's the whole system which has to change, how will it matter if I alone forego my son's rights to a dowry."

So who's going to change the system? What does a system consist of?
Very conveniently for us it consists of our neighbours from other households, other cities, other communities and the government.

But definitely not me and YOU.

When it comes to us actually making a positive contribution to the system we lock ourselves along with our families into a safe cocoon and look into the distance at countries far away and wait for a Mr. Clean to come along & work miracles for us with a majestic sweep of his hand or we leave the country and run away.

Like lazy cowards hounded by our fears we run to America to bask in their glory and praise their system. When New York becomes insecure we run to England.
When England experiences unemployment, we take the next flight out to the Gulf.
When the Gulf is war struck, we demand to be rescued and brought home by the Indian government.

Everybody is out to abuse and rape the country.
Nobody thinks of feeding the system.
Our conscience is mortgaged to money.

Dear Indians, the article is highly thought inductive, calls for a great deal of introspection and pricks one's conscience too?..

I am echoing J.F. Kennedy's words to his fellow American, 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 HAVE DONE FOR THEMSELVES"

Lets do what India needs from us. Forward this mail to each Indian for a change instead of sending Jokes or junk mails.

Thank You,

Dr. Abdul Kalaam


...UNQUOTE

[v1p3r]

Old mail.

Half of those you-don't-do-this-abroad things could be cured if we had swift and just punishment to those who broke laws. But look at our police. And yes, I still try to do my bit.

BTW, I have my doubts about whether APJ really wrote that mail.

[50paise]

how old is this mail.. an as V1P3R said, is it from the Presidents Desk? or jus made up form some OLD Forward!

[rider60]

now i may not know exact origins of the but i think all this will one day happen to India as well. the new policies younger politicians and young blood that assumes the authority later on and the rate of current economic boom will definitely make this thought of policies by Abdul Kalam happen in India one day and that day is not far!

[Ram]

You're on the right track, @rider60.

One of India's problems is all her hordes of
thumb-impression signatories (अँगूठा छापs) -- beer-bar consumers, who enjoy the benefits of India's progress without producing or contributing anything back to society.

IMHO, the uneducated must invest efforts, time and money in educating themselves -- for their own future and a better India.



Another of India's problems is all her lazy, indolent drawing-room critics, who complain about things, they won't themselves lift a finger to fix.

Let them go and join a social movement, where they have to

• roll up their sleeves and sweep the filth off our streets,
• adopt a village and spend weekends serving the needy,
• participate with efforts and time on creating a Polio-free India,
• Let them donate all their weekends for at least a year or two, to a movement like Rotary International which will deploy their time and efforts for public good.

Whether it was Abdul Kalaam or some shadow writer who penned these great thoughts, does not detract from their topical worth.

Ram

[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

I do not care who wrote that mail.

But I do care when I saw a handicapped guy (he has a limp) standing on the pedestrian crossing being abused by a bus driver for standing in the middle of the road. (will never forget that incident).

At intersections within the city, I do care when most drivers prefer to go around my car than stop for ONE second to allow me to pass.

I do care when drivers behind me honk when I stop for one second to allow another vehicle to pass (cross the road / join the traffic on busy city trafic etc. - I do NOT stop on highways when I have the right of way).


I OUGHT to have cared when I got that HU without B & W.

I do care when the lights on the traffic signals do not work.

I care when the speed breakers are not marked.

I dip my lights for on coming traffic and am p****ed off when others do not reciprocate.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Good points. I suppose I ought to have cared about giving the traffic cop Rs100 when caught doing an illegal U-turn (against a red light too; he didn't seem to notice that!) --- but how many of us would have said, give me the ticket, I'll go to court?

I will not drop litter on the street; I won't let my wife do it, even though the last time I complained she told me that this was not 'my london'. I have shouted at the neighbour's servant for throwing paper on the street when the bin is two minutes walk away.

We have planted a tree outside our wall (but still within our boundary) just because we want to make the street nicer and provide shade for others. I hope others let it survive and grow.

Otherwise, I'm no angel: on the road or off!

[mjothi]

Each line in mail makes sense. I am in Bangalore and we know that more (if not all) IT guys drive to office in either 2 wheeler or 4 wheeler. ANd out of these guys, atleast 80%(am I exagrating?) would have travelled atleast once to any foriegn countries. Out of this 80%, 50% would have been living in Foriegn countries for years together and are back now.
So, tell me, how many of those people follow rules here? Even we drive like what others are doing. We drive same like cab drivers. If atleast 50% of those 80% followed the rules, we can see some difference in the traffic.
We are 10s of thousand of members now. Being an auto forum, if we (sorry - I CAN)can make a start, the +ve action will be visible in few months...

I am Imagining the cars with the team-bhp stickers following all rules Will that happen? Will it make a difference?

[bigman]

Education is the key to most things. Till we get education right we will not move in line with some of the things mentioned in the email. Discipline at home is also required.

Of cause looking at state education there is a wide disparity. I was shocked to see that at our local village school the teacher thought it educational for he kids to get him cool drinking water when he should have been teaching the children. His idea of teaching was to let the kids sit in the shade and let them talk to each other. Kids with such education are going to grow up with poor social skills and have no idea on how to behave in the wider world.

My neighbours kids were fine tuned semi cat burgalars at the age of 10. Little urchins thought it ok to go on raids to steal nuts and bolts off my satellite dish and a neighbours mosquito net. The parents were of the view that they were kids and would grow out of it. One is now near enough a hardened thief.

[four_tire]

Leave them alone...

Yes! we, they, everybody else( people ) are all just fine. No more concerns, comments and inventions can change what is already real.

My tiny brain says, the planet holds everything ready-made for everyone and everything born, which includes food (includes water etc), security (including warmth), all this has to be utilized as it is...

We humans are not happy with existing facilities, just like not happy with stock components in a car and modding it. Go to extremes of defining life, habits and even defining how should be dirty.,,

Look around everything in this world is food and entertainment. What an appealing colorful world, never so boring.. birds, animals, mountains, water, food are made of such appealing smell and colour.. the dirt adds contrast.. even a bad food contains dark colour and foul smell so unappealing ..so as to not consume it..

Try to straighten up.. this is the only real thing.... nothing more nothing less.

we are already in the most developed planet

[tsk1979]

First of all I doubt this email is from the President, but even if it, I have a problem with it. A govt employee will obviously not blame the govt for the problems, right. It will blame you and me.
If this mail had not been written by a govt employee, then I would take more notice. Its like CEO of the company blaming the customers or employees rather than his own mis-management.

Originally Posted by ram

YOU say that our government is inefficient.
YOU say that our laws are too old.
YOU say that the municipality does not pick up the garbage.
YOU say that the phones don't work, the railways are a joke,
The airline is the worst in the world, mails never reach their destination.
You say 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 on his way to Singapore. Give him a name? YOURS.
Give him a face? YOURS.
YOU walk out of the airport and you are at your International best.
In Singapore you don't throw cigarette butts on the roads or eat in the stores.
YOU are as proud of their Underground Rail links as they are.
You pay $5 (approx. Rs.60) extra to drive through Orchard Road (equivalent of Mahim Causeway or Pedder Road) between 5 PM and 8 PM.
YOU comeback to the parking lot to punch your parking ticket if you have over-stayed, identity.

In Singapore you don't say anything, 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 to buy 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 to someone else."
YOU would not dare to speed beyond 55 mph (88 km/h) in Washington and then tell the traffic cop, "Jaanta hai main kaun hoon (Do you know who I am?). I am so and so’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 spit Paan on the streets of Tokyo?

Why don't YOU use examination jockeys or buy fake certificates in Boston?????

We are still talking of the same YOU.

YOU who can respect and conform to a foreign system in other countries but cannot in your own. You who will throw papers and cigarettes on the road the moment you touch Indian ground.

Aah very interesting. Lets generalize all citizens of this country as commoner criminals. Right now good.
1. I don't spit on streets, either in Singapore, Or India or anywhere. Infact on my himachal trips I make sure all debris goes back in the car. Many times I have picked up debris of others also(polythene bags etc.,).
Whenever there is a dustbin I use it. I search for a dustbin too. But when the dustbin is overflowing with garbage, because the MC failed in their job, I don't have a choice. So please don't generalize. Even in the western countries people litter when they feel nobody is looking. Idiots exist everywhere, irrespective of nationality. There may be more here, but this does not mean the MCs are doing their job.
2. Ramadan? What does this mean here. Last time I checked this country was free and I was free to practice my religion and my culture whenever or wherever I wanted. This line was the first line of the mail which pointed out the obvious, that this mail is not from Dr, Kalam. I have read his writings and he does not write like this
3. Again please see point too. The belief gets reinforced, this is not a mail from Dr, Kalam
4.Oh, is it so? I have never done this "billing to somebody else". this is so typical of people who don't want to do their job. find an isolated incident and blow it out of proportion.
5. Well well well. This takes the caveat. Now who will say "Jaanta hai main kaun hoon?". Not me not, my neighbor, but a MLA/MP or a higher govt official. Secondly with respect to bribing, the govt officials have created a system where they ensure that giving the bribe is easier than letting the law take its own course
eg. In the US you are caught for overspeeding. You have 2 options, Pay. Or say I won't pay and tell the cop you will contest in court. The court will give you a hearing, and a chance to plead your case, and in one sitting it will tell you whether you are guilty or not(you can contest of course).
Now lets come to India, lets say Patiala. you are challaned, and you want to be legal. The cop will take your license, and give you a yellow slip with a date. You are supposed to go to courts with that. The judge may not come so you may get another date and so on. So the cop suggests bribe as an easy way out. So who is at fault? citizen? The govt employees who make the system and red tape such that an honest citizen can't even get a license without running from pillar to post, and then they have the cheek to blame citizens!
6. Examination jokeys? huh. Again lets club the entire brain power of India, which has a significant hand in progress of India and many western countries, into the same bracket. Some students try to cheat. Thats everywhere in the world. Welcome to reality mr. "whoever who wrote this spam mail"

So thats so much for confirming to laws. Mr original mail writer, please remember that people will confirm to law wherever govt servants don't make the job of confirming to law tough.

Once in an interview, the famous Ex-municipal Commissioner of Bombay, Mr.Tinaikar, had a point to make.
"Rich people’s dogs are walked on the streets to leave their affluent droppings all over the place," he said. "And then the same people turn around to criticize and blame the authorities for inefficiency and dirty pavements. What do they expect the officers to do? Go down with a broom every time their dog feels the pressure in his bowels?

In America every dog owner has to clean up after his pet has done its job.
Same in Japan. Will the Indian citizen do that here?"

He's right

He's wrong. In the west you don't have stray dogs littering the roads with poop right. So if you ask a god owner, clean up your dogs poop, without cleaning up the strays and "pseudo strays" from the streets, its unfair. Its like that dog tax. LEave a dog on the street to die, you are great, bring the mongrel home and give it food, you have to pay tax. Clean up the drains mr govt official. You can't even keep mumbai from flooding during monsoons, yet you have the guts to blame your citizens. Shame on you.

We go to the polls to choose a government and after that forfeit all responsibility.
We sit back wanting to be pampered and expect the government to do everything for us whilst our contribution is totally negative. We expect the government to clean up but we are not going to stop chucking garbage all over the place nor are we going to stop to pick a up a stray piece of paper and throw it in the bin.
We expect the railways to provide clean bathrooms but we are not going to learn the proper use of bathrooms.
We want Indian Airlines and Air India to provide the best of food and toiletries but we are not going to stop pilfering at the least opportunity.

This applies even to the staff who is known not to pass on the service to the public.

When it comes to burning social issues like those related to women, dowry, girl child and others, we make loud drawing room protestations and continue to do the reverse at home. Our excuse?
"It's the whole system which has to change, how will it matter if I alone forego my son's rights to a dowry."

So who's going to change the system? What does a system consist of?
Very conveniently for us it consists of our neighbours from other households, other cities, other communities and the government.

But definitely not me and YOU.

When it comes to us actually making a positive contribution to the system we lock ourselves along with our families into a safe cocoon and look into the distance at countries far away and wait for a Mr. Clean to come along & work miracles for us with a majestic sweep of his hand or we leave the country and run away.

Hmm so we should do the work, not the GOVT. Right?
Why. When the GOVT officials are getting a CTC of crores per year. Yes crores. I can never dream of such a salary right now. But these govt MPs/MLAs etc., get crores and crores of salary and want the citzens to do the work. Well remove the taxes, disband the govt and let people do the work. Till you get your multi-crore salary get down to work you lazy guys.

Like lazy cowards hounded by our fears we run to America to bask in their glory and praise their system. When New York becomes insecure we run to England.
When England experiences unemployment, we take the next flight out to the Gulf.
When the Gulf is war struck, we demand to be rescued and brought home by the Indian government.

Everybody is out to abuse and rape the country.
Nobody thinks of feeding the system.
Our conscience is mortgaged to money.

Now this is downright offensive, and makes ME CERTAIN that Dr. Kalam did not write this.
Lazy cowards. Somebody who wanted a good life is a lazy coward? Now out of the 100 crores of this country what percentage goes abroad. 10%, 20%, 30% or 50%. I am sure its less than 1%.
So now that 1% is responsible. eh? What twisted mind

"ASK WHAT WE CAN DO FOR INDIA AND DO WHAT HAS TO BE DONE TO MAKE INDIA WHAT AMERICA AND OTHER WESTERN COUNTRIES HAVE DONE FOR THEMSELVES"

...UNQUOTE

We already do that. Work 60 hours a week, earn foreign exchange, and pay our taxes. Buy a car and pay road taxes for no roads. Its upto you Mr. Govt official to start working and stop blaming the very people who are paying you crores and crores in salary.
I pay the rail fare like I used to, then why did it take so many years to get profit in a system where demand exceeds supply. Is it because Shanti Ram spat on the railway platform? Shanti Ram still spits on railway platform, but now railways is earning 25000 crore surplus, right? Why now, why not before.
Am I to blame. No its your side Mr, Mail writer, whoever you are.
Do not insult me with your silly and foolish out of context quoting of other leaders. Learn from them. Lose that red light and travel on the highway like an ordinary citizen, and witness for yourself the agony of being struck in a 6 hour jam because the police checkpost is bargaining the bribe with the trucker. Only then you will realize what needs to be done.
Right now you sit in your white ambassador with a red light. Your mongrels wave their lathis and take you through traffic jams in jiffy. And then you say the citizen is to blame?
In a way you are right, Mr, Mail writer, we elected you, instead of lynching you, thats our fault.

[ajayclicks]

Originally Posted by ram

One of India's problems is all her hordes of
thumb-impression signatories (अँगूठा छापs) -- beer-bar consumers, who enjoy the benefits of India's progress without producing or contributing anything back to society.

IMHO, the uneducated must invest efforts, time and money in educating themselves -- for their own future and a better India.

Ram

I agree. I stay in an apartment here and most of the other members are well educated and employed in IT or have their own businesses. The pains that they take to maintain cleanliness in their own flats and the apartment premises is really heart-warming.

Even if it means throwing plastic bags full of rubbish into an empty plot adjacent to the apartment all day long and not using the rubbish cans provided by the society. Its a very pleasant sight to step out into the balcony and see some plastic bag hanging out of a tree branch that some educated soul from the floors upstairs decided to toss out of his flat.