Engineer the basic Code !

Laxmi Mittal bought Arcelor, making Arcelor-Mittal no.1. Tata took over Corus, new hotels like Ritz, New York and zoomed off in Jaguar and Land Rover. Vijay Mallya flagged India on the hot wheels by turning team Spykar into Force India. And the Indian big shots go on an overtaking spree round the globe. Behold, take note of this. 77% of Indians fall in the “poor and vulnerable” bracket earning not more than Rs. 20.30 per capita per day, 64.83% literacy rate. Delhi and Mumbai appear in world’s 52 dirtiest cities and kesalpur in Chandrapur district stands just as an example of countless villages seeing electricity after 30 years.

We bask in the glory of having 4 out of world’s 8 richest men and forget the millions starving on the land with the sky as the roof. India poised to be the next superpower still has some super-problems to combat. The glistening, glossy tale of ‘India Shining’ with 9% GDP, stands at bay with the stark truths of the land. The rich getting richer, the poor, poorer, create an immense gulf, now a Herculean task to bridge, more so with a galloping price inflation.

I feel a strong urge to say this, to pinpoint the poking realities, prompt a few to turn reflective and egg on the to be engineers/doctors/economists/civil workers to study the “Aim” of the experiment of B.Tech., MBBS, MD, M.Phil, MBA, MS and so on umpteen degrees. Albeit I focus them, write here, I believe this should be instilled in the students in their primary classes at school.

Dr. Kalam once pointed in his speech that many of us run to the U.K. to prosper, sighting greener pastures we move to the USA. When USA is targeted by terrorists we flee to the Gulf and when the Gulf is war struck, we expect and demand the Indian government to bring us back. Such ignorance for the homeland leaves my heart hung aghast.

You see Sony, LG, use Kelvinators, whirlpools, Phillips and Panasonics and give a blind eye to the fading Videocon, ailing Godrej, a fused Surya and a coffined BPL. Proud Indians, we are, for running the US with, we being in swelling percentages as their doctors, scientists and at NASA, but dictating the globe, is USA.

Why are we so obsessed with everything foreign? Why can’t we have Indian origin MNCs? If Hyundai’s, Toyotas, Fords and Chevrolets can flood Indian towns and cities why can’t we have more of Tatas, Mahindra’s Scorpios and even newer ones to zoom the cosmopolitans of the world? We pine for Nokia N-series, Moto- razers and rockers, why can’t we thrust in their hand some “Made in India”? From Korean or Japanese batteries, made in China toys, US’s Nike and Gap wardrobe to German automotives, French Airbuses, to Spain’s tinned olives and Italian cheese, all stock Indian markets. Even our own taste buds are cheated when our own spices are offered to us in their fast food ‘avtar’. They treat us with Mc. Maharaja’s with ‘aloo tikki’ stuffed in it and Pizza- do pyaza garnished with “Hindustani pyaaz”. Why can’t we sell our ‘samosas’ in the streets of Washington with their ham burgers?

If we want to give a substantial base to the golden knitted fabric of ‘Superpower India’, we need to realize, stand abreast and act fast to raise our lesser fortunate brothers first and then Indianise the globe.

Friends take cue from the few of ‘us’, who dreamt big and for all. Ratan Tata and his 1lc Nano gave a chance to the auto-rickshaw driver’s dreams to manifest. Ex-army Captain Gopinath gave wings to a billion “aam-aadmis” by launching Air Deccan. And Kishore Biyani who gave an air-conditioned shopping spirit, the mall face, to the Indian bazaars with Big Bazaar, where the Mercedes’ owner and the chauffer shop side by side.

Engineering this code, here’s an awakening call for all young hearts, to rekindle the spark for the country, countrymen and above all future of mankind. This is an appeal to all to Dream, Dream Big and Dream for Others.