Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Debate on NRIs and Dr. Kalam's letter From Facebook

I and the NR in I : All my brothers, their wives and children, one of my two sisters and her family, my in laws, my wife and my only son --in fact everyone except me in my family is an NRI. And yet, this is what I have to say to NRIs: Your families - your parents and others included - did you no favour or disfavour by helping you settle down abroad. You did us a favour by doing well wherever you are. You are fighting your battles wherever you are without our help, and we are happy about it. We are fighting our battles wherever we are, without your help - thank you. We know you live in countries and with people with whom we do not dare compare ourselves - neither in terms of material progress nor in terms of mental caliber or civic sense or self-effacing commitment to their respective countries and societies. But we are doing our best to get by in this world, and hope, one day, to be proud of ourselves. But my request to you: please stop behaving like the proverbial rural boy who turns urban after the rest of the family sent him, at considerable cost to others in the family, to a city for a better future, and he suddenly discovers that almost everything about his village is filthy. I am sure none of you NRI guys, members of my own famliy included, likes to look a little like the guy played by Pran Chopra in Manoj Kumar's classic, Upkar. .Its about time you stopped preaching down to your poor rustic , illiterate and ill-bhaved cousins back in the village and its about too that we stopped complaining about your groundless arrogant self righteousness. If you are serious about changing whatever you believe is going wrong with your state, then please stop being a part-time Punjabi and come and fight the battles the hard way in the dusty fields and by-lanes of Punjab - like others have done before you (Kamagata Maru etc.) Motherland begs for either more than advice and constant grouses from its estranged children or just to be left alone to live with pride, though in poverty. ( Mannia main haan jungle, jammia vich jahaalat de/ Tenu maan bahut ne tarak, daleel, vakaalat de..) And I can only offer a doomed prayer that this is not seen to be linked to the elections in Punjab. I have said all these things before before and I will say these again, once the elections are over.)
· · · 12 hours ago






An NRI`s message to Punjabis:



Respected Punjabi voters,



Elections have been announced and you might be wondering why NRIs are so obsessed with Manpreet Badal and his PPP. We, the NRIs have lived in and analyzed political systems in both Punjab and USA/Canada/UK. I have personally experienced every part of our system in Canada and USA in the last 15 years and enjoyed every bit of it, in spite of getting punished a few times. I have gone through hell in Punjab, India during the first 30 years of my life. I do not need to write about my negative experiences about 'your system' as you can imagine this system was the only reason for me to quit as a class-I officer and migrate to Canada to work as a security guard. Fortunately, I got into the veterinary profession within 2 years, but even if I had to work as security guard for the rest of my life, I would not have returned to Punjab. There is nothing common between these two systems whether it involves opening a bank account, getting any license, calling the police in case of an emergency, or dealing with a complicated case in court. Here is my view about my country Canada as compared to yours:



Canada is a democratic country, not a pseudo democratic one like yours.

We have the Rule of Law, not Rule of Mighty like you.

Here justice is delivered, not delayed, denied and sold like in your country.

Our police is professional, not mercenaries of a ruling party like yours.

Here opportunities are for everybody, not only for a few from ruling classes like in yours.

Our minorities are protected, not killed like yours.

Our bureaucracy is to help, not harass like yours.

Our human right activists are honored, not killed by police like yours.

Here fallen soldiers are given the highest honor, not forgotten like yours.

Our tax money is spent for tax payers, not kept in Swiss banks like yours.

Here politics is a profession, not a business like in your country.

Protesters here are listened to, not beaten up like yours.

Our dreams do come true, not shattered like yours.

Our problems are solved, not only used for political benefit like yours.

Our media is free, not muzzled like yours.

Our elections are free and fair, not rigged like yours.




Though there lie many differences between the two systems, there is only one root cause of all of the differences and that is the Rule of Law. When talking about politicians, I have not found even a single politician in Punjab who bears any slight resemblance to the politicians here. Manpreet Badal is the only one who not only resembles them, but also holds a vision to implement Rule of Law, which is exactly what we enjoy here in these countries. You have been promised by both major political parties to turn Punjab into another Paris or California, but I only see it becoming Afghanistan. Implementing the Rule of Law is the only way forward and the first step to put Punjab back on track of progress and prosperity. Both Congress and SAD had the opportunity to do that, however their lust for the VIP status, power, and money did not let them do anything in the right direction. Furthermore, the chances of them doing anything in the future are not greater than zero. If it was up to NRIs like us, we would have chosen Manpreet Badal as the CM unanimously. I wish you would try to analyze the situation at hand yourself and use your conscious to decide for whom to vote. Though it is very very difficult for the majority of NRIs to spare a few weeks out of our extremely busy life style to come to Punjab, I am sure lacs of NRIs are ready to sacrifice their time and money in order to come to Punjab to support Manpreet Badal during the election. Please spare your valuable time to listen to NRIs and vote for the PPP, if you are convinced after reading this article and listening to NRIs.



Thanks



Dr. Bhan Garg
· · · 18 hours ago
    • Kultar Brar Nice Post. People should really read this once. Good job Sir.
      14 hours ago ·
    • MohanPal Randhawa
      Dr kalam's Message to You & Me I appeal to all my fellow Indian to think about this seriously and make it a practice. Give your mother India the respect she deserves.

      Why is the media here so negative?
      Why are we in India so embarrassed to recognize our own strengths, our achievements?
      We are such a great nation. We have so many amazing success stories but we refuse to acknowledge them. Why?
      We are the first in milk production.
      We are number one in Remote sensing satellites.
      We are the second largest producer of wheat.
      We are the second largest producer of rice.

      Look at Dr. Sudarshan , he has transferred the tribal village into a self-sustaining, self-driving unit.. There are millions of such achievements but our media is only obsessed in the bad news and failures and disasters.
      I was in Tel Aviv once and I was reading the Israeli newspaper. It was the day after a lot of attacks and bombardments and deaths had taken place. The Hamas had struck. But the front page of the newspaper had the picture of a Jewish gentleman who in five years had transformed his desert into an orchid and a granary. It was this inspiring picture that everyone woke up to. The gory details of killings, bombardments, deaths, were inside in the newspaper, buried among other news.

      In India we only read about death, sickness, terrorism, crime.. Why are we so NEGATIVE? Another question: Why are we, as a nation so obsessed with foreign things? We want foreign T.Vs, we want foreign shirts. We want foreign technology.
      Why this obsession with everything imported. Do we not realize that self-respect comes with self-reliance? I was in Hyderabad giving this lecture, when a 14 year old girl asked me for my autograph. I asked her what her goal in life is.. She replied: I want to live in a developed India . For her, you and I will have to build this developed India . You must proclaim. India is not an under-developed nation; it is a highly developed nation.

      ..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, mails never reach their 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?

      Take a person on his way to Singapore . Give him a name - 'YOURS'. Give him a face - 'YOURS'. YOU walk out of the airport and you are at your International best. In Singapore you don't throw cigarette butts on the roads or eat in the stores. YOU are as proud of their Underground links as they are.. You pay $5 (approx. Rs.. 60) to drive through Orchard Road (equivalent of Mahim Causeway or Pedder Road) between 5 PM and 8 PM. YOU come back to the parking lot to punch your parking ticket if you have over stayed in a restaurant or a shopping mall irrespective of your status identity… In Singapore you don't say anything, DO YOU? YOU wouldn't dare to eat in public during Ramadan, in Dubai .. YOU would not dare to go out without your head covered in Jeddah.

      YOU would not dare to buy an employee of the telephone exchange in London at 10 pounds (Rs..650) a month to, 'see to it that my STD and ISD calls are billed to someone else.'YOU would not dare to speed beyond 55 mph (88 km/h) in Washington and then tell the traffic cop, 'Jaanta hai main kaun hoon (Do you know who I am?). I am so and so's son. Take your two bucks and get lost.' YOU wouldn't chuck an empty coconut shell anywhere other than the garbage pail on the beaches in Australia and New Zealand ..

      Why don't YOU spit Paan on the streets of Tokyo ? Why don't YOU use examination jockeys or buy fake certificates in Boston ??? We are still talking of the same YOU. YOU who can respect and conform to a foreign system in other countries but cannot in your own. You who will throw papers and cigarettes on the road the moment you touch Indian ground. If you can be an involved and appreciative citizen in an alien country, why cannot you be the same here in India ? In America every dog owner has to clean up after his pet has done the job. Same in Japan .Will the Indian citizen do that here?' He's right. We go to the polls to choose a government and after that forfeit all responsibility.

      We sit back wanting to be pampered and expect the government to do everything for us whilst our contribution is totally negative. We expect the government to clean up but we are not going to stop chucking garbage all over the place nor are we going to stop to pick a up a stray piece of paper and throw it in the bin. We expect the railways to provide clean bathrooms but we are not going to learn the proper use of bathrooms.
      We want Indian Airlines and Air India to provide the best of food and toiletries but we are not going to stop pilfering at the least opportunity.

      This applies even to the staff who is known not to pass on the service to the public.
      When it comes to burning social issues like those related to women, dowry, girl child! and others, we make loud drawing room protestations and continue to do the reverse at home. Our excuse? 'It's the whole system which has to change, how will it matter if I alone forego my sons' rights to a dowry.' So who's going to change the system?

      What does a system consist of? Very conveniently for us it consists of our neighbours, other households, other cities, other communities and the government. But definitely not me and YOU. When it comes to us actually making a positive contribution to the system we lock ourselves along with our families into a safe cocoon and look into the distance at countries far away and wait for a Mr.Clean to come along & work miracles for us with a majestic sweep of his hand or we leave the country and run away.

      Like lazy cowards hounded by our fears we run to America to bask in their glory and praise their system. When New York becomes insecure we run to England . When England experiences unemployment, we take the next flight out to the Gulf. When the Gulf is war struck, we demand to be rescued and brought home by the Indian government. Everybody is out to abuse and rape the country. Nobody thinks of feeding the system. Our conscience is mortgaged to money.

      Dear Indians, The article is highly thought inductive, calls for a great deal of introspection and pricks one's conscience too….. I am echoing J. F. Kennedy's words to his fellow Americans to relate to Indians…..

      'ASK WHAT WE CAN DO FOR INDIA AND DO WHAT HAS TO BE DONE TO MAKE INDIA WHAT AMERICA AND OTHER WESTERN COUNTRIES ARE TODAY'
      Lets do what India needs from us.
      13 hours ago · · 5
    • MohanPal Randhawa Stop belittling your country Mr Garg if you had left it for green pastures
      13 hours ago · · 4
    • Balwinder Dhall
      such posts would help enlighten those stuck up in india to have a feel of the manner in which democracy is practised as a form of govt. and as a way of life in different parts of the word. let some nri's living in central asia, middle east, australia, africa, australia also write to let their indian brethren to have a glimpse of what the interest groups, pressure groups, political parties and the ruling elite are like in these regions.
      13 hours ago · · 3
    • MohanPal Randhawa This protesters are you talking about in wester world
      12 hours ago ·
    • MohanPal Randhawa http://www.observer.com/2011/10/over-800-occupy-protesters-charged-but-how-many-will-go-to-court/
      www.observer.com
      This must be the district attorney’s worst nightmare: since September 17th, there have been 800 people arrested and charged in conjunction with the Occupy Wall Street protests. The majority of these arrests come from the mass Brooklyn Bridge confrontation on October 1st, when over 750 individuals (i...
      12 hours ago · · 1
    • Balwinder Dhall uk has witnessed riots recently reminding one of riots in india.
      12 hours ago ·
    • MohanPal Randhawa And what about Injustice to Natives in Canada Mr Bhan Garg
      12 hours ago ·
    • Balwinder Dhall it is a coincidence that the elections are being held at a time when lot of nri's come to india every year.
      12 hours ago ·
    • MohanPal Randhawa which justice where you bomb other countries for oil ??
      12 hours ago · · 1
    • Balwinder Dhall usa's history shows that they have been killing red indians who were the original inhabitants of the americas.
      12 hours ago · · 1
    • Bhan Garg
      Well, there are two kinds of people in Punjab, one who gets benefited because of current system of corruption,favoritism and political interference and the other who suffers due to the same reasons. If DGP, senior IAS officer or a politician is arrested for any reason, he is taken to the best hospital and gets health check by panel of senior doctors but when farmers are arrested for protesting for their right to keep their land, they are shoved in jails and not even allowed to tale their existing medicine they were on. No country is perfect, but the question is whether there is Rule of Law in Punjab or not. India clearly has two sets or rules, one for rich and influencial 'VIPs' and other for commoners.
      4 hours ago · · 1
    • MohanPal Randhawa
      So do have western world what happened to CASE of IMF chief in USA . You left India because you were weak and were selfish .So was I. Stop blaming your country back home and preaching. Stop comparing. When you are kicked there then you want indian govt;s to intervene. You want to create gettos everywhere you go and then want to preach.If you have left the country and ditched your motherland it was not for country it was only for you .so take the blame and move on.Only cowards and weak do not take blame and try to blame things on others
      about an hour ago · · 1
    • Sammy Gill ‎@ Bhan Garg...very well said and I second your views. My only humble request ...is not to use word 'yours' . This makes you separate from us....we dont feel and even you might nor feel this way !
      about an hour ago ·
    • DrNirmal S Dhallu
      MohanPal Randhawa - I have to disagree that everyone left India coz they were weak. China now has net repatriation. When those conditions are available in India, may be we will do so too. If we are all talking here cos we have some fundamental feelings for the place where we were born. Your observation about Canada is correct to some extent. It is not so in other countries where their own institutions are more established. I don't mean this in negative sense.
      about an hour ago · · 1
    • MohanPal Randhawa
      I agree DrNirmal S Dhallu . The amount of money spent on making a doctor or IITian is in lakhs for each individual from where does that money come from? taxpayers money .we get education and move abroad because we get better wages abroad and when economies go slow down in western world . we return to india to bask in its glory. when some indian are treated unfairly or beaten up abroad we want Indian government to intervene. All i say is every country has its positive and negatives. If you go higher in ladder in these countries there is discrimination everywhere . Take the case of Bobby jindal or Nicky halley Randhawa they have to change religion to be at post of Governship and I dont say that their law required them to do so but to survive in that political environment they had to do it. Today India as economy don't need funds from NRI's abroad ,NRI's need Indian government more for various interventions when they have problems . There is no denial that we have some problems back home but than you cannot deny that fact India today is different from indian 20 years back. Today when you tell on world forum that you represent India you are respected more
      about an hour ago · · 1
    • Tarun Goswami garg saab...this rich vs poor divide is there everywhere....perhaps more in India than western countries....even in US....the elite who can afford medical insurance get better treatment as compared to economically deprived ones who happen to live on welfare or social security...it is just that Indian immigrants generally do well and dont get to see the other side here....
      about an hour ago ·
    • MohanPal Randhawa I would never vote for PPP if it ask me to vote on argument given by DrBHan garg . I stand for party which respects my country more and do not belittle it while comparing with western world
      about an hour ago · · 2
    • DrNirmal S Dhallu It is a fact India today is different from indian 20 years back. sure but socially and morally heading the wrong way ................
      about an hour ago · · 1
    • Kultar Brar ‎@MohanPal which party respected ur country mroe Congress? u forgot 1984... memory is short... and akali dal isnt better either they just used that 1984 to cash in votes....
      59 minutes ago · · 1
    • MohanPal Randhawa Lets not get into who did 84 or not. Manpreet Badal was in SAD for good 15 years how many times he raised voice for 1984 victims.Lets not do politics over that.He was shifted abroad when punjab was burning and returned when there was normalcy .
      55 minutes ago ·
    • Sammy Gill ‎@Kultar Brar----GULL KHATAM---------------------
      45 minutes ago · · 1
    • Sammy Gill
      ‎@ MohanPal Randhawa ..if your gooself want to say that MB did not did anything or any other leader did not stand for 84 thus 84 is justified and not a big deal....then I would say....THE END of all talks. Above all....this is our status that it took 26 years and still there is no justice !! And here on FB we are holding forts.....gunning...doing every possible act to have a virtual war with each other, for our own state.....Wow !! kalmaaal Hai........accusing....blaming....cursing....and holier than thou...this is what fe friends are into.......but is this going to help ? I think we are doomed to go down.....and very soon its going to happen- sooner than we think !!
      40 minutes ago · · 1
    • MohanPal Randhawa true Sammy Gill !! I invited both jojo and HS bains to debate their policies here on forum and both were online then but they did not debate because leaders know they have their supporters for pig fighting
      38 minutes ago ·
    • MohanPal Randhawa Sammy Gill and I do not justify 1984 at all and I hate Manmohan singh when he did not give sikhs fair chance from CBI but what I meant is none of parties are interested in justice
      34 minutes ago ·
    • Kultar Brar
      well... i agree with u their... but u also have to realise... what could have manpreet done by himself in Akali Dal. When he did try to raise his voice he was thrown out.... at least now he is known to people and has a chance to win by ...See More
      30 minutes ago ·
    • Bhan Garg
      USA: On September 15, 2001, Frank Roque shot Sodhi five times, killing him instantly. Roque, who apparently wanted revenge for September 11, mistook him for an Arab because of the clothes he wore, his turban, and his beard. On September 30, 2003 he was found guilty of first degree murder, and was sentenced to death nine days later. India 1984: Government of India reported 2,700 deaths (lot more in reality) 27 years later no body found guilty!!!!!!!! MohanPal Randhawa Sabb, "you are saying, Lets not get into who did 84 or not !", Why? I am just a human being (neither Hindu nor Sikh), I can not forget those scenes, I watched on TV, I wish I did not. I still get tears in my eyes when I think about it (including as I write these lines) and you are saying let us not get into it??? Whole world knows Congress did it.
      26 minutes ago · · 2
    • Bhan Garg
      About me, I agree that I was weak and alone, could not fight and ran away. I consider myself traitor, but who made me traitor?--Cong 1992-1996 and the system. I was waiting for some body strong enough to fight with, challenge and change thesystem. I saw Manpreet Badal fit for that cause and I joined him. I am proud of my decision as this is my way of taking revenge. I waited for right time and that time has come. I am also supporting Anna Hazare movement and I know now I will be branded as RSS!!! so is Anna.
      20 minutes ago ·
    • Bhan Garg Forget about being Sikh, I think who ever supports Congress after watching 1984 and waiting for 27 years for justice, is not even a human being. Sorry Congress supporters, nothing personal, that is just my feeling as human being, not as PPP supporter.
      9 minutes ago ·
    • Sunnymindcaves Caves Bhan Garg, Kultar Brar, MohanPal Randhawa, Sammy Gill, DrNirmal DrNirmal S Dhallu friends: Bhan Garg's diagnosis is impeecable; his prescription is questionable. And that seems to be the whole problem. e all have the right diagnosis and wrong prescription. Plus, we seem to approach the patient with avoidable anger. Only Dr Kalam' seems to have the right physician's approach: he may not be elling the patient how serious his disease is but then all good doctors use this placebo effect. It is far better than killing the patient by demoralising him. I find nothing wrong with all the arguments advanced -- for and against. I would only pray for a little more patience and respect for each other's opinions than we seem to exercise on Fb generally. And I am going to copy this whole debate and preserve it for later reference. It carries a lot of perceptive observations. And as for Bhan Garg's prescription, I respect him for that too: it is better to be err on the side of dreaming than on the side of cynicism.....I may not agree with him but I see nothing wrong with his eventual idealism. But he could afford to be a little less angry with us . Nevertheless, he seems to care. As for Sammy, as usual, -- Gall Khattam --