My Views My Country

With hard effort and single-minded devotion, you can make possible what seems impossible. That is what an 18-year-old has shown in Khammam district of Andhra Pradesh. With not enough to eat, and no money even to burn the midnight oil, in a village with hardly nine hours daily power supply, the boy managed to secure 453rd rank in the IIT entrance exam. However, he has won only half the battle yet. If you want to help this boy please contact NDTV at + 91 11 26446666







Here is another story of Kanpur boy Abhishek Prasad, who cracked IIT inspite of so many challenges and wants to become an astronaut. His father is a cobbler and earn few thousands. He doesn't know how he will be able to pay his fees but his dreams are big and his decision is firm. If you want to help Abhishek then you can call him at +91-9208671404.  
To see his full story with video click here.

Aarakshan aka Reservation is a word which is not just limited to quotas that is being provided on the name of  non-existent word Minority but there are many forms of aarakshan that has made its way in our mind. We feel proud of our holy books like Gita, Bible, Kuran and Guru granth sahib having "love one love all" message and we call ourselves a diverse but united nation, then why there is an aarakshan in our minds regarding caste, religion, region, language, color, ethnicity and creed? If you don't understand what communalism is then let me explain it to you that "communalism means a person practicing politics for self interest by linking it with religion."

Why there are communal riots like of gujrat, punjab, meerut, belgaum, varanasi, hapur, seelampur etc in this country? Since 1954 till date there have been more than 15,000 communal riots in our country. Does the significance of Gandhi's principle got limited to books and now a part of mere history? I know i am putting lots of questions but don't you think we are living a life which has more question marks than answers!

This reservation is not just limited to one part of society rather its roots have taken its place and ruling our minds. From common people to bureaucrats, from Hindu, Muslim, Christian and Sikh and form rich to poor everyone is becoming its prey. Why is it so that people feel safe and comfortable being in their own region and with their own community? People have forgot that they are human beings first and religion comes later. Why we cannot see the kind of secularism throughout which we show for our cricket team and Bollywood? Pakistan was a result of some communal brains and demands of Khalistan and Mumbai exclusively for Marathis is taking society one step forward towards suicidal.

Our freedom fighters got independence after paying a huge price but today we are keen to divide our country further into Telangana, Gorkhaland, Harit Pradesh, Bundelkhand, Purvanchal, Sonanchal, Vidharba and more. Politicians have their selfish interests for chair, power and money and integrity of nation lies somewhere at last for them. Mayawati, Mulayam singh, Ajit singh, Raj Thakre, Chandrashekhar rao and more selfcentered inefficient politicians are in abundance in this country who are keen to divide and rule on name of caste and religion. Isn't this whole country ours?

Aarakshan came into existence during British period when casteism was on its high and society was divided into high class and low class people. To uplift the low caste people the system of aarakshan aka reservation was introduced and they were given jobs and place in educational system. Slowly and gradually untouchability was loosing its ground and those who were deprived were getting their basic rights. Today after 63 years of our independence we are still following reservation system. Is there a need to change reservation system? Is this reservation system solving the real purpose? Our government discourages caste system but it is the same government which gives reservation on basis of caste and religion...ironical but it is a game, a game for chair, power and money. Isn't there any poor in General category (As categorized by Indian government) or all the people belonging to minority, SC/ST, OBC are poor? Does poverty differentiate between caste and religion? I do not believe in words like minority, general, SC/ST, OBC...we all are human beings and that's it. Within human beings some people can be financially strong and other can be financially weak and require support. 


We need to remove the current reservation system and provide financial support to such financially weak families by providing free education, health facilities, better living standards and train them in specific skills so they can become self dependent. We need to show them a way and should shape their capabilities so they can lead a respectable and healthy life. You might say that i criticize a lot but we will have to accept and realize our mistakes and we will have to learn from our mistakes. I am not saying that it's only politicians or bureaucrats who are at the wrong end, we the common people are neither on the right side. If 120 crore people set their priorities and values/ethics right is it hard to set things in right direction? 


We have become selfish and money has occupied the highest priority in our life. Power and status is what we are aiming at. Why we are so keen to settle in a foreign country, why everyone wants to speak fluent english, why imported items serves a sense of contentment, why status is more important than values? 


To all the questions which i have put the answer lies with everyone, just close your eyes and ask to your conscience. We all are living a meaningless life with wrong priorities and absence of values. Why we find it hard to accept the reality, we should be proud of our nations history but we have ruined our present and to make our future golden we need to understand our mistakes, accept them and bring a change. Things will not change by closing eyes, Its us who can together bring a change. We need to strengthen our value system, our political system and our priorities....Being Humane is the mantra. 

"Change is the only constant thing in life" and yet another change has knocked at my door. I always believe that every life has a meaning associated to it, hidden or known but there is one. It depends on person to person, when they figure it out. It may take several years to realize or may be never. See how ironical it is, we tend to interfere in others life and in that we forget ourselves.

It is the time when i should start with my story, though i am not self obsessed :) but i like to put forward something realistic. Childhood is more of a dream world where everything is right and beautiful. I dreamt to be either a singer, actor, millionaire, magician and politician. Some options faded with time and few other were dumped to dustbin realizing the reality. A thought that never left me was working for people and society. After my graduation i got a job in a Indian IT firm and my meaning of life was going in a wrong direction. Hence the charge of my fate was taken over by God and he did right things at right time to put me on the right track. I was off from the wrong boat but still i was taking time to know "what is next and how?" Sometimes self-realization is not enough, one need to choose a right path towards the right direction too.Things may seem to get changed with time, though the outcome remains same but its meaning varies.

I always had a feeling to do something for society and for humanity but i never looked for the path which serves this purpose. With time i realized that neither i am good engineer nor i cannot separate myself from my dream...my passion...my life, so i chose the latter. I worked in the direction in which i am good and i know i will do great. It was not easy for me though, sometimes mind said something else and heart said the other but everytime heart won the battle. I cleared TISS MSW exam and prepared for interview. I wanted to get on a path which takes me till my destination. I got final admission call from TISS,Mumbai. Don't know how but i had an intuition a month before results that i will get selected.

I want to fly high, i want to bring a change, i want to see my dream getting true and i want to say to myself that "Yes you did it!!".

It took me long to realize my meaning, "Better late than never"..... know yourself, know the unexplored and endless possibilities within yourself, fight to succeed and do what your heart says. My new journey is about to start in few days and a crystal clear image of my destination is there in my mind. I will move on and on towards it. Past cannot be changed but future can be and when the decision is sincere and firm nothing can stop you. Life will throw challenges and time will test one's endurance, self belief and true passion will lead to success. Life is a journey, a beautiful one.....live it.

Ciao!!