Independence day

Today India will be celebrating its independence day. News papers, magazines and television channels are already busy discussing what we gained, what we lost and what needs to be done in the last 60 years. The main question raised in many of these discussions is "What all Indians need to do in order to make India better?". When I as an individual think about this question, a simple answer comes to my mind. All we need to do is do our duties with sincerity and dedication. That's it! Rest all will follow automatically. We need not have any complex action plan to make our country better. Just do your duties, professional as well as personal, with best of your ability and that can change the picture.

If you ask someone - "What would you like to change in order to make India still better?" then many of us will present a long list ranging from politicians, technology, interest rates, sport awareness, rural development and so on. This is quite natural because we all see these problems in our daily lives. However, do we ever ask this question to ourselves - "What change I need to do in myself so that it will affect my country in a positive way?" When we point one finger to others the rest four are pointed to us. If we at all need to do something for our country then the simplest and highly effective way is to improve yourself. That improvement can be at all levels - job, personal life, relationships and civic duties.

Swami Vivekananda used to energize the entire nation with a slogan from Upanishads. That slogan is still valid today. If we follow it India will be the best country soon. He said - "Arise, awake and stop not till the goal is reached."