India of my Dreams

 

Rajan Agarwal

‘Mera Bharat Mahan’, we so often hear people say more in a sarcastic tone than as a praiseworthy gesture, although deep within everyone dreams of it becoming true. The reality is that more than 60% people of India are not developing with India. People are unemployed, poor and dying with hunger. And, such conditions are increasing corruption, terrorism and giving the birth to dirty politics. We need an India which we see in our dreams. Dreams, defined by Wikipedia as, a series of thoughts, images, sensation occurring in our mid during sleep, do they hold significance? Indeed if we were to believe the words of our former president Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam ,”Dreams are not those which comes while you are sleeping, but dreams are those when you don’t sleep before fulfilling them.” So dreams indeed become reality if we work towards it dedicatedly. It is in many ways necessary for a country like India to be insane and dream as it is a bigger crime not to dream than to dare to dream. I dream of such India, when people coming in India say, ’Tumhara Bharat Mahan’. Every person dreams of India in his/her own beneficial way:

I as a poor sick person dream of India where Healthcare facilities are within the reach of the poorest of the poor, not because of any subsidy but because of my being empowered enough to claim it. I wish to reside in a country where people can afford to get sick. Quality healthcare is available to every section of society.

I as a farmer dream of Bharat as a place where opportunities are not sold but grabbed to rise up the ladder. A place where grains are not allowed to rot in the open rather market exists for  selling them in the open. I don’t wish to claim subsidies and be looked down upon rather empowered to buy my requirements through my own earnings.

I as a citizen stung by the needle of corruption would dream of India as a minimal corrupt country where I have a voice to raise. I feel corruption has  lead to the downfall of my country’s GDP from a double digit growth figure to the below 5 status.

I as a business oriented person dream of India with which U.S. competes, not just in terms of development but ‘sustainable’ development, a concept wherein we take care for our future generations. India where economic development reaches the level of Rupees 1=1$. The economy has the potential to reach this height if everyone works towards it.

I as Indian researcher dream of India as knowledge hub where its scientists, engineers doctors research and work in collaboration with people from other country. A situation where the concept of brain drain is reversed, and live in a place where the number of renowned institutes(IITs, IIMs, ISRO etc.) are sufficient in number to encourage healthy competition without arbitrary reservation. Reservations exist, but not for a particular caste or community but for the one deserving it on merit.

I as Indian athlete, dream of the establishment of world class infrastructure to train myself, funds to keep the infrastructure in place and change in looking perspective to sports other than cricket. I dream of getting the same reception on winning an Olympic medal as one gets for winning a cricket world cup. I as a hockey player want to relieve the golden history and restore the importance given to national sports. A country where talent is brought up the ladder from the least accessible corner of my India and given world class training. 

I as a literate person dream of 100% literate India, literacy of not  just being able to put a signature but the one which enables a neo-literate to access his required needs and claim his wants, one which prevents you from getting duped by literate people. A country where no one puts his/her thumbs on a paper but proudly signs after understanding and verifying its contents.

I as a rural India resident dream of having a bank branch in every village with all having access to it. An India where money lenders don’t find enough people to cheat because of the number of banking options available with people.

I as Indian Foreign Service officer dream of my India as a country which commands respect in the world forum not only because of its peace endeavours but also because of its power to tackle the strongest of the nations and its rate of development.

I as a resident of Kashmir, Arunachal Pradesh dream of India where my border issue has been successfully resolved once and for all, thereby ending years of aggression, suffering, terrorism and conflict.

I as a resident of Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Jharkhand Andhra Pradesh Maoist infected areas dream of my India where the need to drift to Maoist activities is over. Those gone deep into the maze have returned and an environment of peace and mutual trust has developed.

I as a part of Army, Navy, Air Force, dream of India having well-equipped forces with access to latest weapons and technology that too developed indigenously by DRDO and ISRO.

I as a scientist at ISRO dream of India launching space missions, like Mars mission launched recently, every year on our own without thinking of the paucity of funds.

I as an environmentalist dream of India as a country where environment safe guards are adhered to and most of the flora and fauna come out of the endangered and threatened categories and rights of Tribal people to the forest and forest products are recognized and granted. I dream of India as a country greener than ever before where every person plants and cares for a minimum of 10 to 20 trees in his life time, where wild life is safe from poachers, where Man lives in harmony with Nature,

I as the finance minister of India dream of the country in a situation when there is no need to import ay petroleum products rather vehicles run on 'Gobar gas' produced all around the country at a very low cost and which emits little or no polluting gases. I dream of solar fixation of vast stretches of waste and barren land to produce the maximum potential of solar energy which can electrify the farthest and the distant village in India and also take care of the climbing fiscal deficit. I dream of India where export if not exceeds definitely equals import.

I as traveller and IT professional dream of India as a country 100% connected not only by railways, airways, roadways but also by internet, mobile, bank. The railways, airways, roadways might connect you physically but the internet mobile and bank will connect you permanently.

I as a cleanliness administering citizen dreams of India as a clean country in which I am ready to play my role a supportive citizen.

‘Justice delayed is Justice denied’ I as a law abiding citizen dream of India where Justice is meted out to each and everyone who seeks it within  a fixed time- period and no case be dragged o for more than 6 months, if need be more courts be set up and all should function like the fast track courts.

I as a rural migrant, dream of India where the rural and urban standard of living achieves a common platform. Our lifestyles may differ but both sides are able to access all the facilities. People like me will be forced to migrate to the urban side. 70% of our population lives in rural areas.  Rural unemployment is a massive problem.  This is resulting in exodus to the cities, which our cities are not able to absorb properly.  For those who stay in rural India, their potential is underutilized leading to social problems.  We need to develop new, progressive models for rejuvenating rural India.  We should not do this through dole oriented schemes like NREGA that breed inefficiencies and complacency.  We have to do this by rejuvenating agriculture, so that we are able to raise its productivity and economic opportunity. 

I as a regular voter dream of my India where close to 100% voting takes place and everyone expect for those having serious ailments come out and raise the bar for democracy. I as a voter also dream of India where candidates don’t dole out bribes to the voters for immediate gains and vanish after that rather understand grass root level issues and deal with them.

I as a sweeper dream of my India where my work will be respected and not looked down upon because I fend for myself and not beg from anyone.

I as a prisoner dream of my India where I am not only stuffed in jail with a bleak future but where people like me get transformed into law abiding citizens having a skill set which ensures me and my jail mates a standard source of income.

I as a tsunami or a natural calamity affected person dream of an India having the latest technology in terms of warning systems so that I will not have to become homeless once again. I dream of  country where aid reaches the person in need before he clamours for it, aid not in terms of cash but in terms of support to rebuild himself/herself.

I as student who struggled to get myself educated dreams of India where free education is provided to all the deserving candidates instead to subsidies and reservations so that I become educated enough to fend for myself and my family.

I as a woman of India dream of my country as a place where I can raise my voice and it is heard, where justice is meted out for the minutest crime against me, where I am empowered to take decisions in my favor, where I am no longer looked down upon as an entity to be overpowered but as a person stronger than of the opposite sex.

I as a news follower dream of India where media houses have more positive news to show rather than the current stuff they show repeatedly.

Finally I as a fellow dream that the above dreams of the citizens of India for various backgrounds become a reality. It is not for the fact that I have a dream hidden within these dreams but because when several individual dreams are fulfilled, the spirit of unity ensures that everyone lives a single collective dream towards which they start working whole heartedly. I don’t dream of people asking for more subsidies or reservation because these are selfish dreams, I dream of people asking for more opportunities and chances to prove their worth.

I would like to quote Mahatma Gandhiji in this regard,” I shall work for an India, in which the poorest shall feel it is their country in whose making they have an effective voice; an India in which there shall be no high class and low class of people; an India in which all communities shall live in perfect harmony. There can be no room in such an India for the curse of untouchability or the curse of the intoxicating drinks and drugs. Women will enjoy the same rights as men. Since we shall not be at peace with all the rest of the world, exploiting, nor being exploited, we should have the smallest army imaginable. This is the India of my dreams….I shall be satisfied with nothing less.”

India of my dreams is not entirely of my dreams alone because I am not its only resident, within India of my dream lies the India of everyone’s dream which is not perfect neither 100% problem free but an India which strives towards being perfect, an India where people think of solutions before seeing the problem itself, an India where dreams are turned into reality. I dream of a shining India, a vibrant democracy and a secular nation taking centre-stage in the comity of nations. I dream to see ‘INDIA  DREAMS’

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Rajan Agarwal is a civil service aspirant. This essay is a replica of the short-listed entry for the essay competition at www.upscportal.com