Bibek Debroy in The Indian Express:
“We may be proud of our glorious past and our glorious future. But we aren’t yet proud of the present, because being proud of the present is tantamount to being proud of the system. We think we are what we are, in spite of the system. We owe nothing to the system. If we have done well, and are relatively rich, we have learnt to manipulate the system, because the system has become malleable.
“In 2004, President Abdul Kalam delivered a speech reminiscent of John Kennedy.
“’You say that our government is inefficient. You say that our laws are too old. You say that the municipality does not pick up the garbage. You say that the phones don’t work, the railways are a joke, the airline is the worst in the world, mail never reaches its destination. You say that our country has been fed to the dogs and is the absolute pits.
“‘You say, say and say. What do you do about it?'”
Read the full article: August 15, what?
Revolution? Secession?
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The public pays taxes to the government to provide common amneties. So yes Dr. Kalam, the man-on-the-street cannot take over the government responsibilities because then he really needs to take over everything – cleaning garbage, police, courts…….what can he take over with a day job? Its the system that has to change and do all the things it is supposed to be doing……..
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Vande-Mataram!
Its going to get worse before we turn it around. After all, Lotus, important Indian cultural symbolism, bloom in the mud.
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We need a constitution that does not sell us down the river, one which protects our “rights”, and one which will keep the government and parliament from going on a rampage like a mad elephant. Unless this is done, neither voting nor blogging nor writing nonsensical articles nor giving grand speeches will work.
Patriotism and nationalism should emerge from pride, not from fear – people should not feel like they are living in the “Democratic People’s Republic” of Korea ((North Korea). And its time to throw Kennedy and his “ask not” statement into the dustbin. A stupid statement, and an evil one.
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What can we possibly do considering that the corrupt have taken over completely?
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Why do people consider ‘ doing’ as somehow better than ‘ saying’. A sensible person would see both as useful or useless when viewed in context !
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Eliminate moaists? Eliminate secessionists?
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*maoists
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What did he do when he was President ogf India?
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