Mr. Prime Minister….we need Colleges!
On the last day of February of 2010, the Tricolour flutters with pride. So does every Indian who works in Saudi Arabia. The picture in Riyadh today is that of colour splashed all over! The Indian and the Saudi flags dance in harmony and glory. A sign of the great relations that exist between the two nations.
Today’s newspapers in Saudi Arabia are all about the warm and friendly Indo Saudi relations. One leading newspaper has over a dozen advertisements hailing the visit of the Prime Minister ! The first after a gap of 28 years!
And what is more remarkable is the fact that the Prime Minister is accompanied by a high powered delegation of several senior ministers and officials along with a legion of senior journalists who would be carrying back the impressions to our fellow countrymen back home. The role of this throng is vital and will make an impact for the future.
This visit is not merely ornamental but it means business. It is said that nine agreements will be signed during this three day visit including one on memoranda of understanding on scientific and technological cooperation.
I look at the larger picture for tomorrow. There are almost 1.8 million Indians residing across the Kingdom and this is a substantial proportion of the total expatriates living here. And we have come a long way as today India has its own brand equity in the market. We are no longer seen as suppliers of unskilled labour but as one which has provided the intelligentsia. It is a matter of pride that we see Indians not only as senior manager but also as entrepreneurs! And that too in substantial quantity.
The NRI’s in Saudi have always stood up when they were needed. But there are issues which bother us and which are left unaddressed. The most vital and pressing is the need to provide for College and Varsity education. Now, this is a huge hassle and families are faced with very traumatic conditions as the child approaches high school! Sleepless nights , animated discussions, anxiety levels on the rise and what not are the order of the day as one tries to plan the future for the 14-15 year old little kids who have always lived a protected life! Trauma grips the family. The family is going to be split!! The little ones have to fend for themselves whilst the mother braces to live alone chaperoning the child. The Father happens to be the bread earner hence he has to stay back and live the life of a forced bachelor. And one must not forget that the parents are now in the late 40’s and early 50’s. This is the stage when health issue gains priority. What was once a happy united family is now torn apart. This is where the Government of India needs to step in and find a solution. We need to have colleges and varsities here. And this depends on the determination of the Government. And yes, to ensure that no violation of any sorts occurs, these colleges and varsities will be restricted to Indian nationals only. Mr.Man Mohan Singh needs to do what Indira Gandhi did 28 years ago. She was instrumental in establishing Indian schools in Saudi Arabia. Singh will become King if he can get college education for over 50,000 kids who study in Saudi Arabia! Man Mohan Singh will be providing a solution to a burning issue. It would be a great service to the community and the nation.
And yes, we have long been yearning to have voting rights. And it is time that the present government works hard and takes a decision on the issue.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Sovereign or subjugated?
Sovereignty misunderstood
Last month India rejoiced on the 60th Anniversary of its constitution. 26th January 1950 was indeed a red letter day for India as we Indians stood up and adopted a charter that was free and provided opportunity to one and all. At the same time it ensured our sovereignty. Our constitution gave us the freedom to not only practice what we believe in but also gave us a nation that was capable of taking its own decisions and not being subservient to anyone. As a proud Indian, I salute all those known and unknown souls who made this constitution a reality. I salute because of their vision. I salute because had it not been their far sightedness, we might have just about ended up as just another nation which is counted because of its geographical existence and not because of its status and strength. Hamare buzurgoun ko salaam!!
Indeed, we have been gifted with the two most sought after W’s-wisdom and wealth. Our heritage made our future a lot easier to craft. We moulded with success.
But today I stop and look back. What must have been in the mind of Pandit Nehru, Dr.Ambedkar , Maulana Azad and all those who strived for India’s freedom? Did they visualize the India as it is today? Perhaps partly.
India has grown as a giant in the world today. This would have pleased Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Nehru no end as this was their vision. The freedom fighters laid down their lives for a better India. And today we stand with pride in our eyes living their dreams of a free and fair India. The 50’s and the 60’s were the Nehru Era when India stepped into the world with decisive and firm steps. We saw the beginning of the demise of untouchability and discriminations. Nehru ushered technology that led us to the Silicon Valley!
India started to bloom. But still away from a glorious, full bloom!
But an honest evaluation may reveal a slightly uncomfortable picture. Uncomfortable at our own contribution, at our own roles. Uncomfortable at our compromise of our sovereignty. I suspect that we never really understood what sovereignty meant. We sold our nation to our own whims and fancies. Our own petty parochial thinking. We forgot the nation and remembered our caste, creed, religion. We forgot the sacrifices of our forefathers and looked at what benefits us, our family. National interests got buried below our idiosyncrasies. We became insular, blinkered.
India has not reached where it should have. We have the potential but not the willingness. We stride not hard enough to reach the goal. We form political parties that have agendas which take us away from national perspectives. We patronize politicians who never wish the welfare of the masses. We are subjugated not sovereign! Whatever India has grown, it is by its rich heritage. Not by our efforts.
When will we really understand that a sovereign India will be achieved only when we forget vote bank politics? When we stop divisive politics. In the race for world supremacy, India needs its children to stand shoulder to shoulder. We need to create a truly sovereign India. Indians need to wake up to the stark reality that nations progress when the citizens strive and sacrifice. When hard work replaces lethargy and when national pride displaces ill conceived petty personal gains.
A truly free India will assume the mantle of the Leader of the world. We owe this to our children.
Last month India rejoiced on the 60th Anniversary of its constitution. 26th January 1950 was indeed a red letter day for India as we Indians stood up and adopted a charter that was free and provided opportunity to one and all. At the same time it ensured our sovereignty. Our constitution gave us the freedom to not only practice what we believe in but also gave us a nation that was capable of taking its own decisions and not being subservient to anyone. As a proud Indian, I salute all those known and unknown souls who made this constitution a reality. I salute because of their vision. I salute because had it not been their far sightedness, we might have just about ended up as just another nation which is counted because of its geographical existence and not because of its status and strength. Hamare buzurgoun ko salaam!!
Indeed, we have been gifted with the two most sought after W’s-wisdom and wealth. Our heritage made our future a lot easier to craft. We moulded with success.
But today I stop and look back. What must have been in the mind of Pandit Nehru, Dr.Ambedkar , Maulana Azad and all those who strived for India’s freedom? Did they visualize the India as it is today? Perhaps partly.
India has grown as a giant in the world today. This would have pleased Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Nehru no end as this was their vision. The freedom fighters laid down their lives for a better India. And today we stand with pride in our eyes living their dreams of a free and fair India. The 50’s and the 60’s were the Nehru Era when India stepped into the world with decisive and firm steps. We saw the beginning of the demise of untouchability and discriminations. Nehru ushered technology that led us to the Silicon Valley!
India started to bloom. But still away from a glorious, full bloom!
But an honest evaluation may reveal a slightly uncomfortable picture. Uncomfortable at our own contribution, at our own roles. Uncomfortable at our compromise of our sovereignty. I suspect that we never really understood what sovereignty meant. We sold our nation to our own whims and fancies. Our own petty parochial thinking. We forgot the nation and remembered our caste, creed, religion. We forgot the sacrifices of our forefathers and looked at what benefits us, our family. National interests got buried below our idiosyncrasies. We became insular, blinkered.
India has not reached where it should have. We have the potential but not the willingness. We stride not hard enough to reach the goal. We form political parties that have agendas which take us away from national perspectives. We patronize politicians who never wish the welfare of the masses. We are subjugated not sovereign! Whatever India has grown, it is by its rich heritage. Not by our efforts.
When will we really understand that a sovereign India will be achieved only when we forget vote bank politics? When we stop divisive politics. In the race for world supremacy, India needs its children to stand shoulder to shoulder. We need to create a truly sovereign India. Indians need to wake up to the stark reality that nations progress when the citizens strive and sacrifice. When hard work replaces lethargy and when national pride displaces ill conceived petty personal gains.
A truly free India will assume the mantle of the Leader of the world. We owe this to our children.
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