There are around 195 countries in
the world – some are poor, some are rich, some are developed, some are
developing and so on, so forth. Being in India, we love it when we achieve
something substantial, as a country – be it an A-SAT test, be it Mars Orbiter
Mission, be it an Indian cricket world cup win, be it an Oscar win, be it bullet
train project, so on, so forth. We are a developing country and we cherish
every positive step of development in the country.
As an Indian, I am a proud tax
payer. If nothing else, I am doing the basic minimum by paying taxes and doing
my bit in contributing to India’s story. As a teen, I heard of ‘brain drain’
and how it affects India’s growth story … And was highly moved by the apathy of
a section of people who just go away and forget about their duty towards the
country. In my heart, I wanted to live in the country, do something for it, do
my bit and not be the one who just moves away. It’s been about two decades
since I decided against leaving the country to pursue my masters abroad, and
when I look back at all these years, I think I have not been able to do
anything spectacular for the country that I would have wanted. But, I have
witnessed the country age through time all these years.
I have
seen two lane road convert into an 8 lane road, I have seen the advent of google
maps to navigate through the city, I have moved from paying electricity bill at
the counters to online transactions, I have witnessed the mobile revolution, I
have witnessed the growth of Flipkart, I have seen the advent of McDonalds and Pizza
huts, I am one of the guys who has seen Aadhar’s birth, there are just so many
things that have transpired. There are changes everyday, for the good. Wait a
second, what have I been doing all this time, when all the things were
happening.
The
things have changed and will change.. I believe in the passion of the people of
the country. But, do I believe in my own passion? Can I contribute in something
spectacular? They say “Start by doing what’s necessary, then do what’s
possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible”. We expect the country to
grow and develop, I believe at the same time – we should grow and develop self as
well.
Add a new habit, new skill to
yourself, keep striving. Keep doing it, who knows what might transpire. At the
basic minimum, I do work 2 days in a week for the country, I do pay taxes.
