The Real Tribute

Sudden demise of one of the greatest sons of India Dr APJ Abdul Kalam has left everyone in the country stunned and nobody initially believed it except the doctors who treated him at the close of his life without any successful result. A lot has been written about him after that and people are coming to terms with this great loss to all of them. The fact is that everyone will have to leave this body and find some other place and make the place for others to carry forward their legacy. I would not be talking about what he did successfully in spite of very difficult circumstances without any complain, but the most important thing is that he has proved that the person who faces difficulty in life gets better prepared to face the challenges of life. By and large this seems to be true that the ones who had very little to be comfortable could achieve more than the ones who had enough because they understood the importance of the things not possessed or achieved by them. Many of us curse ourselves for having born in the families with little means but that can be taken as a challenge which would motivate an individual to work harder than others. Dr Kalam advocated that the holidays are not good and these should be avoided as much as possible. He was the one who would not have liked the parliament to remain off for two or three days (though this was not functioning otherwise also). Unfortunately, many of us consider the mourning by not working meaning thereby remaining off from the work and getting a particular day declared as holiday. As it usually happens in the schools in Rajasthan (may be in other parts of the country also), had a difficulty in deciding about whether the next day would be a holiday or not. This confusion prevailed in Jodhpur also. The parents were calling the schools and the newspaper offices to know whether a holiday was declared or not. In the middle of the same, one prominent channel (regional) flashed a news that government of Rajasthan had declared the next day as holiday. Print media was not sure and they were to get correct information from the officers concerned. As they got the confirmation from one officer, they conveyed the same to the parents and the schools whoever approached them and many private schools declared the next day as the holiday (Private schools were more concerned because of the parents queries and fear of being given a showcase notice if holiday was not declared). The next day, one of the prominent newspapers gave the news that schools of Jodhpur will remain closed while the other mentioned that there was no holiday. The truth was that no holiday was declared by the government. I raised this point because of the reason that the same kind of confusion had been there before also. The question is - why shouldn't there be a uniform policy on this issue so that people remember the departed soul and talk about the good work done by them than worrying about whether there would be a holiday or not? The government should take a call on this and let us make sure that the sad demise of our great leaders, scientists and other dignitaries should not be declared a holiday, rather pay them our homage by walking an extra mile so that their soul rest in peace with contentment of having inspired people to work hard. If we analyze, then we will find that our country has the distinction of being one of those few countries which have maximum number of holidays.

So, today I shall emphasize upon two things, that the ones who have not been fortunate of having being born in the so called good or affluent family must stop cursing themselves because if the same was done by Dr Kalam, he would not have achieved what he could. This he could do because he was always positive in his approach towards life. He never blamed or criticized anybody for his failure rather himself and took up the task with greater enthusiasm. His positive thoughts were, are and will remain like a fountain of immortal drink and a source of inspiration to all across the country and the globe. Dr Kalam was very sure that the human resource of the country was capable of leading the human race for a better future. The positive radiation which he left with all of us should be a guiding light for achieving the dreams of being the developed nation by 2020 as he used to say with conviction and confidence. The youth of the country has been a great fan and follower of Dr Kalam and we owe the tremendous responsibility of letting them explore all possible opportunities to realize the dreams of Dr Kalam as their own. This will be the real tribute to him.

The second important point which I want to make here is that the children from so called poor family background must remember him and ensure that the economic or social deficit do not come in their way and hinder the path of their success. They have the same potential and capacity as any other child in the world and the only thing they should remember is that innumerable possibilities of success are waiting for them. The children who are born in the families which are considered affluent should also learn a lesson that they would not be able to achieve great heights just by that reason only but due to their hard work. If we remember Mahatma Budh, Mahavir and Mahatma Gandhi today, it is because he gave up all the wealth and lived his life as an ordinary person and achieved what he could not have by remaining the king of a state or so. I do not mean to say that belonging to an affluent family is always a hindrance but many of our children make it to appear so. Many parents from affluent families also do not expose their children to difficult situations. When they do so they deprive their children from wonderful opportunities of realizing their own worth which may not let them expand their wings to explore the world to the fullest.

We appreciated and will remember Dr Kalam to have achieved what he did because he did this all by himself and not because of the family background or support. Every child born in this country is equally important and has the potential to achieve great heights if there is a will and Dr Kalam's words will always motivate them and he will be an ideal to the generations to come. We pay our sincere gratitude to this great man and contribute our bit for the progress of this country of his dreams.

We should also debate on the number of holidays and nature of holidays to be observed in the country so that maximum time could be availed to achieve the dreams of our exemplary ancestors.