Jun 18, 2012

“Dream, Dream Dream Dreams transform into thoughts And thoughts result in action.” ― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam


I  met a young man from a remote town in North Bengal last week. He had just completed his graduation and was moving to another city in India to pursue a  degree in management and finance . A shy  man , he approached  me with lot of diffidence .He looked more like a poet to me as he looked at me with deep dreamy eyes. Initially I thought he wanted help with some information search or had some complaint to lodge  . As I offered him a seat he said apologetically that he had lots to discuss on certain issues that were bothering him.
He had a huge list of concerns. Students in his town and other similar towns in India had hardly any access to facilities and lacked opportunities in life. Most of them had no exposure to options available for higher studies elsewhere. There were people with pots of money but many students coming from such families had no information about educational opportunities in India and abroad . Very few parents ,teachers or mentors  were able to guide students about educational and job opportunities in foreign countries . He wished representatives of foreign consulates would visit these areas regularly to  build awareness  about  options available abroad. He wanted foreign missions to set up public libraries in cities in India. The teaching methodology was completely different in those countries and he aspired to go there for further studies. He seemed to be in awe of everything the developed countries had to offer.
As I listened to him I felt deep sorrow and frustration inside.  I wondered who taught this young man to think like this , why was he so parasitic in his thinking. Was he another defeated Indian trying to escape to a make believe world or was he just another young man looking for opportunities abroad.  When will we teach our children to be proud Indians .When will they learn to respect their own systems . When will they think that if systems are not what they are they can raise their voices and ask for a change . When will they realise that we have the most brilliant teachers in India , some of the richest men in the world in India , some of the most successful entrepreneurs  in India who can help them realise their dreams. The young will have to have a collective passion to articulate their wants . When will they understand the complex nature of problems faced by our great nation and dream of fixing them rather than running away from them.
Unfortunately as I listened to this man I realised that our education system had seriously failed them by not teaching them to think on their own. It is good to have aspirations but it is sad when even young people lack idealism . Without idealism and passion amongst the youth how does a nation progress .I wondered if this was only a small town phenomenon. If so then  teachers and parents  in every corner of India have a responsibility to tell children about our  achievements in recent times and inspire them to dream big for their country. There is lot more satisfaction in building things and changing things for the better rather than trying to seek a life of luxury and comfort when you are young and able. 

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