SATYA MEVA JAYTE !!

When India became independent in 1947 after centuries of colonial rule, it made every Indian proud. It was a moment of renewal, a time of euphoria which gave hope to the people that the ills of the past would be corrected by a government and an administrative system now would run by their own people. Moreover, the circumstances under which we attained our nationhood were such that we needed to have a structure that would provide stability.
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel stated in the Constituent Assembly in 1949 that,
"you will not have a united India if you do not have a good all-India Service which has the independence to speak out its mind, which has a sense of security. The Constitution is meant to be worked by a ring of Service, which will keep the country intact".
This should the ethos in which members of the then Indian Civil Service and every other Indian should be trained and oriented in. The entire administrative system for good reason should be such that it has to be referred to as the 'Steel Frame' for its integrative work. We should together give a national outlook to our country which is already blessed with wide diversity and is vast in size.
If we have to be successful in making a tangible difference to the lives of our people, the administrative machinery and the mindsets of our administrators should also have to undergo a change.
Our administrative system must become more goal-oriented. A new work-ethic, a new work-culture must be evolved in which Government should be result-bound and not procedure bound !! A strong concern for efficiency must permeate all institutions. This means, that our administrators need to transform themselves into professionals and oversee the effective delivery of services.
People are no longer happy with what has been achieved, because of the quick growth & widely spreading CORRUPTION!! Indeed, the world looks towards India with great expectation.
This is the great goal that we must gear up for. Our Civil servants have to play a more dynamic and creative role. Every Individual should be committed to bring about positive changes in the lives of the people and thus, it will definitely create growth opportunities for our Nation. We need to set forth a vision of an inclusive society, an inclusive economy and an inclusive growth process that is equitable socially and regionally. The Government should realize that THEY are the implementers of the schemes and in constant contact with the people. Their work, therefore, should be development-centric and their attitudes should be people-friendly. The business as usual attitude must change. We need officers who can find innovative means within the system to make it responsive to the needs of our people. This means they will have to be pro-active, adopt new approaches and find new ways of doing things which result in assigned tasks being done more efficiently and effectively. Our Government Officers could be the harbingers of such a change. As the philosopher, Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."
Our System must not become birds of passage; instead they must leave their imprint wherever they work and they can do that ONLY if they gain the faith of the people.
Last but NOT the least, I would like to say that our Government Officials that make the System, SHOULD NOT let the power and facilities which come with their posts, make them inaccessible to the people or make the people feel you are not accessible. The Greek philosopher, Plato said, "the measure of a man is what he does with power." MEANS : You shall be judged by what you do for the welfare of the people. That will be the only yardstick of your contribution to the nation. Infrastructure work and social welfare programmes must proceed forward, if we are to fulfill our tryst with destiny to make India a developed country, rooted in its civilization values of living in harmony and bearing respect for all human beings.
If you do this, you would have been successful in making, INDIA a nation with it’s true meaning! In this way you will have earned the gratitude and good wishes of millions of our people who place so much hope upon you.
I believe in making our Country “SANER” & “SAFER”.
I shall NEVER be afraid to Fight for it!

SATYA MEVA JAYTE !!
By - Pallavi

PATRIOTISM AND REALITY

While our Nation celebrates over 60 glorious years of Independence, the other fact remains that even to this day, India’s struggle for Independence is a sage of those thousands of men, women & even children who have sacrificed their life for the freedom of our nation. By celebrating Independence Day, we pay homage to all those who fought for the Independence of India.
But gone are the days when every Indian citizen valued the importance of this great day!
Believe it or not, accept it or not, but the truth is that time has eroded those sentiments and now we this day is observed like “any other holiday”!!
Today, attendance has been made compulsory by schools which means, “forcing” children to attend the Flag Hoisting Ceremony. Not only children but it’s even seen in most of the Adults also that the feelings and spirit of patriotism for this day is no more.
The Oxford dictionary defines “PATRIOTISM” as Devoted Love, Support, Defence of one’s Country and National Loyalty. But the word “Patriotism” is subjective in nature and cannot be restricted.

We need not take part in International Sports or fight Wars at the border to express our feelings of Patriotism. Our emotions run high when India thrashes Pakistan in any sports or when a businessman of India Origin, staying abroad makes it “BIG” in the World. We feel so patriotic when a Lady of Indian Origin (who has hardly been in India herself) goes into space. The Sunita Willliams episode and the consequent celebrations in India clearly exhibit to what extent we are OBCESSED with the WESTERN CULTURE!

The youth of our country only looks forward to complete their basic studies in India and much before he completion, plans to go out to America or U.K and settle abroad & earn money for the foreign nation. REASON - No infrastructure , hardly any avenues, scope to make it big and fulfill one’s ambition. This might be true but is it not OUR responsibility to facilitate such an environment in our own country ?? APJ Abdul Kalam in his book “ Wings of Fire ” has mentioned that “ Never think of scope, work harder to create that scope.” Kalam rejected several offers and stayed in this country (India) and contributed in making India a nuclear power. That’s the resolve of a Real Patriotic Person.!

PROBLEM is – WE are “obsessed” with foreign labels. It’s a very dangerous trend. We are loosing our own identity in this process. Just a hand-full amongst us have interest in our history, culture & growth and growth of our country. We are aping western countries, leaving behind our nation. But we are also being selective while aping. But WHY is it so?? – The entire America and U.K come on their streets to celebrate their Independence Day. Their entire nation stands by their armed forces not only during war times, but also during “any and every” crisis. They share the success as well as the failure of their country with undivided sincerity and togetherness. They not just dream but also take efforts to take their nation to new heights. Do we feel the same for our very own country – India ??

There are so many negative thoughts about India in one’s mind and quiet often we just don’t want to discuss or even talk about it. There is a very famous dialogue in the movie “RANG DE BASANTI” – “koi bhi desh perfect nahi hota. Usse perfect banana padhta hai.” ( no nation is perfect. We have to take the efforts to make it perfect.” And whose responsibility is it to make it PERFECT ?? Is it right for us to expect someone else to improve the scenario of our nation? And is it more correct that when that happens we will happily return to your nation to contribute to the further developments ?? If so, then does this indicate we are on the right path to prosperity and progress of our nation, our country?

Famous author Shiv Khera says – If we choose NOT to be a part of the solution then we DEFINETLY ARE the PROBLEM!! Convincing I must say! Today our country has made advancements in almost all sectors. But there is still greater distance yet to be coverd. This is just the beginning Agreed! That there are certain problems that are unsettled which need to be attended to and some hurdles yet to be crossed. So why don’t we join hands and make some genuine efforts to work on them – TOGETHER!?!

Nation does not become great only with slogans. It becomes great when its citizens do great things. Sad but true that we just don’t want to fight against injustice and battle for our integrity. We need to change our thinking, pull up our socks and drive this nation of ours forward with all our strength and belief.

WE NEED TO BE A PART OF THIS SYSTEM AND STRIVE HARD TO BRING POSITIVE CHANGES only then we will be able to bring the “nation of our dream” into REALITY.

So how are YOU going to contribute towards this ??