Address to the Nation by Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
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What can I give to my Nation?
Dear Citizens, on the eve of the 58th Republic Day of India, my greetings to all of you in the country and those living abroad. I convey my special greetings to the members of our Armed Forces and the Paramilitary Forces, who guard our frontiers on the land,
the sea and the air and also the central and state level police including the internal security forces.
Friends, when we are celebrating the 58th Republic Day, I was thinking what thoughts I can share with you. Shall I talk to you on what message I got during my visits to various parts of our country and my interactions with the people particularly the youth
with their dreams or shall I talk to you about the proud feeling I had when the farmers in Punjab succeeded in doubling the seed cotton productivity in tune with the world record or shall I talk to you how a village in north-eastern state has become prosperous
by developing its core competence in native silk production or shall I talk to you about the elation of the Gujarat farmers celebrating the arrival of electricity to all the villages in the State or shall I talk to you about many great human beings whom I
met in various parts of the country such as, one great soul providing the leadership for transforming a polluted rivulet into a clean river in Punjab through the efforts of pilgrims themselves, or about another divine soul who has connected the hearts of people
of Andhra Pradesh and Tamilnadu through the flow of water or about another divine personality, building a bridge connecting the peninsular region to the mainland near Kochi over the backwaters of the Arabian Sea in the Tsunami affected area or shall I talk
to you on how 65 villages with a population of one lakh in Tamilnadu have generated a self-sustaining economy through PURA or shall I talk to you about the way that the judicial system of the State became a partner for on the spot disbursal of compensation
to the victims of an earthquake in J & K for ensuring timely compensation to the right persons, or shall I talk to you about the bravery of our armed forces. I have already shared with you about these and other beautiful experiences that have made the Indian
Republic proud. Such beautiful events and people have been changing the fabric of the nation.
In the eighties, children always used to ask me questions such as When can I sing the Song of India? Today, the youth are asking me, What I can give to India? This shows that the nation is on a positive growth trajectory. The change in pattern of the questions
is indicative of the transformation which has taken place over the years. Also, I receive many e-mails and letters asking me what I can give to India, my country? When I study the letters, messages and mails that I have received and also the personal interactions
with the people, I can clearly see abundant opportunities in which every citizen can contribute. I thought of sharing this with you: My topic of this address will be What can I give to my nation?