Can we realise Dr. Abdul Kalam's Vision 2020

"Transforming the nation into a developed country, five areas in combination have been identified based on India's core competence, natural resources and talented manpower for integrated action to double the growth rate of GDP and realize the Vision of Developed India."- is what it is required is India to become a developed nation by 2020, in the words of Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.

Now comes the question : are we really prepared to take on the mantle of becoming a superpower by the year 2020? The answer rests with the youth of this country, and not to forget the political forces and the bureaucratic setup in the country, which can either be a driving force for a better tomorrow, or a huge blockade for any real progress.

India has the potential to become a forerunner in leading the world to a better future and has all the necessary ingredients to do so. But unfortunately, this is still a dream, due to a lack of initiative among the citizens of our country to try and mend their ways. One can still see a scant regard for rules everywhere one goes, we Indians using our intelligence for such meager things as finding loopholes in the rules that are laid to lead to our betterment and convenience.

This results from our lack of effort to get out of the rut of routine thrust upon us, more simply put, our laziness to get any work done through the proper channel and paucity of any such thing as diligence and hard work. When people of the world envy countries such as China, Japan and others, we wallow in self-pity, waiting for a messiah to lead India to its rightful place at the top of the world, failing to realize that it is incumbent upon us to take up the mantle of doing so.

Added to this is the problem of still continuing with caste-based reservation, that too on some census taken in the pre-independence era by the British, totally removing meritocracy from the mindset of the people. Even the architect of our constitution, Dr. Ambedkar said, in 1948, that such caste-based reservation policies should be discarded in about 50 years. And what do we have on our hands?? It is left for the readers to decide on this issue.

It is time for each and every one of us, to take pride in our motherland, and help ameliorate the centuries of looting and plundering that it had been subjected to, and in the coming years transform India for a consumerist country to a benefactor of the world and truly lead the world in the 21st century.