An inspiring speech from a winner at the National Youth Parliament 2019
“We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future.”
― Franklin D. Roosevelt
Inspiration can come from anywhere. Perhaps the most from youth. A bright twenty-year-old girl from South India is studying to be an Ayurvedic doctor. And also keenly interested in the country’s development.
Anjanakshi bagged the second prize at the National Youth Parliament Festival 2019. The award ceremony was attended by the Prime Minister of India, Hon. Narendra Modi in New Delhi.
Anjanakshi gave her a short speech at the ceremony. Here is the transcript:
Good morning honorable Prime Minister and all the dignitaries present here today. I, Anjanakshi, stand before you to talk on the topic, connecting India - economically, geographically, culturally.
Bharat is a unique country in many ways, including its geography. Its location is such that it is located in the heart of the world, that is the hridaya sthana. Hridayam can be split as hra+da+yam. Hra meaning the Harathi, that is to root out the bad things, da meaning the daati, to give it back as good, yam meaning the yaati, that is to revolve.
Like how the heart functions in our body and keeps it as one, in the same way Bharat functioned in the past. It took in everything and gave back only the good to the world, and the world revolved around Bharat. This is how we should function in future as well.
Bharat is a country which is geographically connected and we can make this connection stronger by laying roads and connecting various ports through programs like the Sagar Mala and the Golden Quadrilateral.
And also, the population could be more connected by assuring the population that wherever you go in this part of the country, you get equal access to all the facilities and still be treated as children of this country. The population, what an amazing and dynamic population does Bharat has! Any country with a good population will be empowered with a good human resource. That is why the population of our country is the pride of our nation, that is why the population should be cultured.
What is culture? The culture or samskriti is something which is born from within and nothing from caste or creed or religion. Which is why we need more policies like the 10 percent reservation, which is not on the basis of majority, minority or cultural belief but just on the basis of common needs of people that brings us together as one.
So when the population is one and when the samskriti is established to a good economy. The biggest problem that Bharat is facing now is economic disparity in terms of GDP (gross domestic product) in different states which again arises because of different geography, culture of each state. So when we bridge the gap between these two, then even the most impossible and difficult policies like one nation one tax, demonitization, bringing down the black money becomes easier to exercise.
And hence, when the nation is geographically connected, the population becomes one, when that happens the samskriti gets established. With good samskriti, a common code of conduct. With this common code of conduct, it becomes easier for the government to govern leading to an equal empowerment of all the states, thereby leading to the equal empowerment of the nation. Thereby, when this happens, despite staying in Bharat, nobody will even have an anti-Indian thought, you know no tukde-tukde (pieces) gangs.
And, so you might ask is this a possible idea in this world, then very proudly I would say yes! The best example I can give to you is this very national youth program festival. Just like in the past how Adi Shankaracharyaji started from the south and connected the entire nation, here we are from different nooks and corners of the country from different cultural backgrounds and yet sitting together as new voices of India for a strong and united Bharat.
My dear brothers and sisters the world is looking at Bharat, like it never looked at us before, Do you know why? Kyunki, yeh naya India hein. Yeh kahi gusse ga bhi, kahi maare ga bhi. (Because this is the new India. It will barge if required, and will even strike back.). Wherever we go, may be any fields - economy, technology, terrorism - wherever we go India will strike so hard, that the world will not forget us any time.
So, I call upon all of you to come back to Bharat and be a part of the stronger and united Bharat. As the late Atal Bihari Vajpayeeji said, “Our aims may be as high as the endless skies, but we need to have a resolve in our minds and walk ahead hand in hand, for victory will be always ours.” Bolo Bharat Mata ki jai!
(Salutations to Mother India!)
