Honble Minister of Soviet Union Releasing Shri Harbhajan Singhs book Soviet Cinema-its impact

Dedicated to the Second Historic and Meaningful Visit of General Secretary CPSU Mikhail Gorbachev to India In November 1988. 20

Harbhajan Singh
...An Author All The Way

Chapter

B ORN with a RICH PEN - a Gift of the Gab - it was

quite evident from Harbanjan Singhs early childhood when he started contributing to house magazines right from his School Days before graduating to College Times that he had a bright future. Shri Harbhajan Singh, working on Gods creative Principle, started writing to make people aware to the day to day subjects of National importance like that of Communal Harmony. So getting into journalism was but natural - being the son of Sardar Durlab Singh - a veteran journalist, and the Indian Observer offered all that Harbanjan Singh needed - a ready vehicle. What more he could ask for without having Started writing to make people aware to the day to day subjects of National importance like that of Communal Harmony.

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Dedicated to Resurgent PEOPLE OF INDIA and to my esteemed, mentor and source of inspiration my father late SARDAR DURLAB SINGH freedom fighter and revolutionary journalist-author

to go knocking like others for job from newspaper to newspaper. An acknowledged prolific writer on a wide variety of subjects contemporary socio-political affairs, trends in cinema international affairs and travel and tourism-gifted with a literary flair- besides he authored more than a score of books in addition to editing and publishing widely circulated magazines.
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In his capacity as the General Secretary of the All India National Unity Conference he penned "The Nation on Trial" while leading the people's movement for the unity in the country that too at a time when the fundamentalists were preaching for separatism. At a time when foreign powers were exploiting the disgruntled and anti-social elements in Punjab, Kashmir and Assam raising their ugly head with demands for Khalistan, Azad Kashmir, Gorkhaland, Bodoland giving alarming red signals to the peace loving countrymen. The Book Nation On Trial running into three hundred pages was released by Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma the then President of India. The National Challenge was

Dedicated to Promote National Unity and National Integration 23

Indira Gandhi A Prime Minister Assassinated he penned down in record time after Indira ji's unfortunate assassination.

Union Minister Shri Vasant Sathe Releasing his Book - Indira Gandhi A Prime Minister Assassinated. Also seen Justice A.N. Grover Chairman Press Council of India

released by Shri Shivraj Patil, then Speaker Lok Sabha. And Shri Vasant Sathe was all praise for Harbhajan Singh while releasing his book Titled "Nation At Cross Roads". All the books were distributed free of cost to a number of Universities Colleges and Libraries to spread the right message to educate and inform the young generation and people in order to condemn and suppress the nefarious designs of separatists throughout the country. Indira Gandhi A Prime Minister Assassinated he penned down in record time after Indira ji's unfortunate assassination by her own securitymen at her official residence at Safdarjung Road.

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Because in his considered opinion public awareness was a must. Killings of innocent people here and there in bomb blasts and otherwise caused panic among common people, the man in the street didn't feel safe, the country lost a number of people who mattered and some political parties were busy dividing the country people in the name of religion, language and caste to create their respective vote-bank. The Mandir-Masjid issues aggravating the problem still further with minorities not feeling safe. Hence the urgent need to educate and inform the people at the grassroots level about the gravity of the situation.

Harbhajan Singh Dedicated the Book to One and the Only One Smt. Indira Gandhi and the Great Son of the Soil Shri Rajiv Gandhi who Lived and Died for the Unity of the Country 25

Harbhajan Singh Dedicated the Book to the memory of Late Shri Rajiv Gandhi on his 51st Birth Anniversary 20th August, 1995

Being a great optimist he invited the views of many a learned scholar, intellectual, statesman with their expert comments in short articles providing food for thought to the countrymen on various burning problems facing the country and articles went a long way to serve the nation in its revived search for regaining some of its lost glory once again that of Sone Ki Chiriya. Through his various books Harbhajan Singh tried his best to offer a Blueprint for a Better India for people to live in harmony and with a feeling of amity and brotherhood 26

Live and Let Live - In his well written articles Harbhajan Singh raised many challenging issues - Poverty, wiping Illiteracy for Quality Education, Unemployment, Health, Population, Corruption and the like and strived for solutions in real earnest. He was for the political system to conduct itself in such a manner as to inspire confidence and a sense of moral upliftment in the younger generation who wallowed in utter cynicism. The youth, he exhorted, must feel good about the country and must be made to appreciate that this nation belonged to them and that opting out was no
Honble Sushil Kumar Shinde Releasing Mr. Harbhajan Singhs Book The National Agenda. Also seen Dr. Bhisham Narain Singh, Shri Vasant Sathe and Subarami Reddy

The book is here to Promote Communal Harmony and Peace 27

Dedicated to the Memory of Late Shri Rajiv Gandhi who Lived and Died for NATIONAL UNITY AND NATIONAL INTEGRATION

option. That there was a big need to make the qualitative improvement in our education system in order to liberate the young minds rather than bog them down with bookish knowledge. Relevancy to the educational needs of boys and girls in the rural areas had to be so reoriented as to unleash the creative capacities of the masses. The thrust area was the foremost being Excellence in Education. Free compulsory education upto Higher Secondary Level capable of building character and teaching the joy of loving others. According to him it was time for us to redraw our priorities for we had the best brains. Priorities where the human being matters and the countrymen feel that they have a place under the Sun.

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From His Book MY INDIA

His views on MY INDIA were much appreciated ...are being reproduced.

In Democracy it's the people those who matter, because they decide the fate of the country at the ballot box. Infact the real people those who vote, live in small towns and villages. According to the survey 80% of the population lives in such areas and they do vote and elect their representatives, whereas in metropolitan cities people caste their votes in a low percentage. The biggest achievement of the country is power to the people, those who elect their representatives, power to the people to
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elect the party of their choice. Its not a small matter. I believe, if the country is great, if the country is united, if the country is strong, if the country is developing, it is because of the people of this country and not because of the leaders of the country. India is the country of 110 crores population, and it has got various problems too, mainly the over population of the country. Our country is bigger than the entire Europe i.e. U.K, Germany, Denmark, France etc. There is no control on population, where there is a need to educate and inform the people about the gravity of the situation. What will be the shape of the country after 50 years? The population will be more than double, and we don't have the resources and the means to provide food, accommodation, education, clothes, medical treatment etc. a realistic approach to the problems is needed. Indian civilization is the oldest civilization on this planet. Rich in its heritage and grand in its traditions, India has outstood for the quality and variety of its founded religions. Even in the twentieth century, its father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi has served the trouble-torn world as the undisputed champion on the Afro-Asian freedom. As the time marched on, India too experienced its moments of weakness and strength. Once it achieved its hard earned freedom in 1947, its belated endeavors towards its delayed economic progress became perceptible. Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, the architect of an industrial, modern and new-India set the ball rolling for an Indian journey towards a better tomorrow. Our last fifty four years since independence, although not a long period
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in the historic context, were certainly significant as a period of nation-building activity, comprising the spheres of health, family planning, transport, education and social welfare. However, much remains to be done. India's diversity, in the matter of its religions, races, languages, dialects, customs and costumes, is a fascinating subject and has served as a primary source for the global interest in this great nation of over one thousand millions. Its unity in diversity, although disturbed by the recent spurt of terrorism, is a rare anthropological phenomenon, which can't be dismissed with a shoulder's shrug. Notably, when India became free, we were manufacturing very little and that too of no economic significance, but looking at the scenario today, we are making virtually everything, under the Sun like cars, trucks, aeroplanes, nuclear applications, guns, missiles and what not. Let's thank to those sons of this country, who have made India one of the fast developing countries in the world. But, at the same time, we are facing problems on various fronts, facing various challenges for which many reasons can be attributed. The corruption stigma on India, is one of them. We th are the 7 ranking corrupt nation in the world. In the past few years, various scams and scandals have come to light involving Ministers, Parliamentarians, bureaucrats. For how long can this be tolerated. Indian judiciary has played an important role, took major decisions and fixed various
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ministers and bureaucrats. Many cases are still pending in various courts. The other setback, we got, is due to the political instability, which gave shocking waves to the people, living in the country and even of the guard at the top brought instability, because at the Centre, different parties came and joined hands to form the Government, while every Party was having a different ideology. The decision, however, had to be reached at. Those, that were made, remained weak in character and lacked in effectiveness and implementation. The bureaucracy took the politicians for a ride, which resulted in our economic setback, the investors, on the other hand, were not coming forward to invest in an unstable country. Therefore, the home investment showed downward trend and the foreign investments shied away. It is important to mention here that during the Congress rule, when Dr. Manmohan Singh was the Finance Minister, he had introduced various reforms resulting in an increased flow of foreign exchange from abroad and many multi-national companies had set up establishments in the country. That era was of comparative prosperity and progress. Though the next Government of NDA followed the same reform, yet not being a single party Government, it could not complete the unfinished tasks. There are different opinion on the issue of the entry of multinationals in the country. Some hold the opinion that it will be a disaster for the domestic industry, while others say that a competition will bring in a healthy atmosphere. It
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cannot be predicted as to what will be the future scenario, but there are mixed reactions from the common man and businessmen about the flow of multinationals in the country. The biggest challenge that the country is facing today, is of national unity. It is not that the country is not united, but some political parties are ruthlessly dividing the people in the name of religion, language and caste to create their respective vote bank. The regional demands for bifurcation of states are the illustrations in point. Mandir and Masjid issues are aggravating the problems. Minorities are not feeling safe and secure today. There is an urgent need to educate and inform the people at the grassroot level about the gravity of the situation. If the people do not remain united, country will never progress. The remarkable role, which the Indian media, comprising the Print and Electronic Media, assume special significance in this context. The mass awareness is need of the hour, both in the matter of defeating the fissiparous forces of terrorism and the naked practice of corruption. This responsibility may be seriously undertaken by Electronic and Print Media. The public awareness of the gross ill, infecting the nation is the need of the hour, and it must begin at the grass root level. An offshoot of this problem is the dreaded disease of terrorism. Practically every State is now threatened with this menace and every day reports appear in the dailies about the killing of innocent people here and there in bomb blasts or otherwise. A state of panic exists in the country and the commonman is not feeling safe. We
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have also lost a number of people who mattered, to the ugly monster of terrorism. Frankly speaking the threat of terrorism has its root in our neighbouring nation, which is hell-bent to create chaos in our country. The terrorists are being trained by it. The terrorists include the worst fanatics and mean mercenaries. They are all out to create confusion. This problem can be solved only with the active participation of the people of this country, because the Government alone can not provide security to each and every human being. The unemployment in India is also one of the reasons for the ugly existence of terrorism in the country. The young unemployed men, in search of a quick buck, do look here and there for the destructive jobs for money. In spite of that, they are aware that they are heading for a disaster and they are taking the nation toward destruction. The challenge of unemployment also needs to be met at a war footing. It is rightly said that 'an idle mind is Devils Workshop'. The growth of employment opportunities shall also go a long way in curbing terrorism. If you just look around, one of the basic problems of the country is its growing population which is increasing by leaps and bounds, with the result that every town or city is crowded. Not only that, every hospital, school and college is crowded too and millions of people are unemployed. There is an urgent need for strict legislation to control the population, but no political party is ready to take the initiative to give the slogan, One is Enough', because all the political parties are afraid of losing their vote banks. We
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have the same area of land. Although we have increased the use of our resources to some extent, yet the explosion in our population has taken us no where. We must learn a lesson from China and experts should study their methods for checking the population growth. Here, education is also needed to inform the people about the gravity of the situation and about the shape of things to be, with the present casualness about our population problem. The education is an equally important factor to meet the challenges, because only an educated man can understand as to where we are going wrong?' Because of over population, we are unable to provide education and employment to every one, but in spite of that, education remains every one's right. Today, the education is a costly proposition, the children, after having basic necessary education, are unable to get admission in the schools and colleges. If the nation is educated, the problems can be solved and challenges can be met at every stage, more effectively. India is the largest democracy in the world and in a democracy, the power to elect the government of their choice is in the hands of the people, because it is the people, who have to take the final decision, for choosing their leaders. This is the biggest achievement, the country has made in this direction and India is proud of it. We must remember in this connection, the historic and timetested truth that the 'people deserve the Government they have'. The quality of the people and their Government is just the same. Yatha Raja Tatha Praja. It is true both ways. Wherever there is a glaring gap between the quality of the two, the people always overthrow such Government. The
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arrival and collapse of Communism, in Europe, is a befitting illustration in front. Because of the illiteracy, the democracy in the county is facing various bottlenecks. 85% of the population, living at the grass root level, is illiterate and it is the people, who cast their votes at the ballot box and decide the fate of the country at the hustings. When they are illiterate, they are unable to take the right decision. They are unable to gauge the performance of a candidate or the party. They simply vote on the factional basis of castism, religion or linguistic consideration. Democracy is at the cross road today, because with the emergence of various regional parties, Nobody is getting a clear mandate, which was shown in 1996 and 1998. The first coalition Government of various parties, could not run its show for too long and hence the United Front Government collapsed after 18 months. In 1998 elections, again there was no clear mandate. There is a coalition Government at the Centre once again. It is convenience government, consisting of political hotchpotch. As the present Government with its various constituents have their different ideologies and different interests, and only the common motive to rule. In a poor country like India, we cannot afford to have elections every year or two by spending Rs. 10,000 crore or more. There is a school of thought, which recommends that we must adopt some other system, but that too is very difficult. Only a stable Government can take a decision on the issues with proper thinking and debate. Not once, but at many times, this question was raised that we would have
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Presidential form of Government like France, where only the President is elected. That too needs a change in the Constitution, which needs guts, courage and stability. We are passing through an era of coalition and instability, which is hampering the country's interest at large. Many foreign investors are thinking twice, before investing in India. Money market is tight. There is certain slow-down in the flow of money, resulting in the shooting of prices. There are Western countries or developed countries, which have progressed at a fast pace. The reason is very simple. They have a control on their population and above all they have a discipline. Discipline is the key to success of any nation. In any country, which has discipline, its progress is quick. We have brains, we have infrastructure, we have resources, we have manpower, but in spite of all this, our progress is very slow. Our major thrust should be on virtue of discipline. If the people are disciplined, the country is disciplined, and only then we can truly hope that India can rub shoulders with many advanced countries, in all the fields. The progress which the country has made during the last 55 years has got no parallel. We are self-sufficient in various spheres. We have made an impact in the international arena, multi-nationals and high business houses from all over the world are investing in India that clearly shows that India is safe for investing and India is fast progressing.
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The change and the betterment is very much visible, a large number of Indian cars of foreign brands made in India are running on Indian roads, Coca Cola, Pepsi and Pizza culture has practically invaded the Indian market. The younger generations are enjoying the fruits of labour put by the countrymen. Lots have been done, but a lot still remains to be done. Indian brains are creating waves in the work practically in every sphere and if we provide opportunities to younger generations, who are dynamic and dashing, they can turn India once again to 'Sone ki Chiriya'. There is a need of a will on the political level. Though road is difficult because of the various bottlenecks, but to achieve the goal is not impossible. I have been abroad many a time and happened to meet cross sections of the society and everyone has praise for India and its achievements and its people and majority of the people talk high about the country, but still there is a need to project India in correct perspective, where our Missions Embassies and High Commissions abroad have failed miserably. In this book, many learned scholars, intellectuals, statesmen and political stalwarts have contributed their valuable thoughts on various subjects, which largely concern the people of our country. I am grateful to them, because their short articles certainly provide food for thought to our countrymen. Further more, these articles shall go a long way to
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serve the nation, in its revived search for regaining its lost glory. I am a firm believer of the wisdom of the people of this country. They alone can build India strong, they alone can provide stability to the country, they alone can bring radical change in the country. Frankly speaking, in a country where there is a political mess, things can be set to order only by the people of the country only. I have full hope in the people of this country, strong believer of religion and God fearing, peace loving and united. They may be of different religions, speaking different languages, eating different food, wearing different costumes but whenever the question of country comes before them, they are one, they are united. People of this country are the only hope for the betterment of this great country.

People of this country are the only hope for the betterment of this great country.

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