Maahir Shah

by Maahir Shah

Sixty seven years ago, a nation arose from the ashes of slavery.  67 years ago, a new nation arose to the calling of independence.  67 years ago, this august nation’s name became enshrined in the golden pages of history as an independent nation, Bharat.

On that note, a very good morning to all present here. It is in this spirit that I, Maahir Shah, stand before you to strongly voice my opinion on our motherland.

India is my country.  All Indians are my brothers and sisters.  And so, I speak to you today, not as a teenager, but as a part of tomorrow’s citizens, not as a Hindu or Muslim, but as an Indian, as a proud integral component of Mother India.

You may ask , what have we to be proud of, seeing our current scenarios in the political and other administrative spheres, but then again, let’s not forget that we’ve given the world the first computer language – Sanskrit, we’ve given the world its first martial art – Kaliripaitu,  the concept of herbal medicines – Ayurveda,  the concept of plastic surgery – sushrutta, we’ve given the world some of its most glorious religions – Jainism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Hinduism – and yes, let’s not forget, we gave the world, dhlokas and theplaas.

Now as we all know, corruption is on the rise in our nation.  And so, there are two Indias in this country.  One India is straining at the leash eager to spring forth at all the adjectives the world has recently been showering upon us.  The other India is the leash.  One India says “give me a chance I’ll prove myself.”  The other India says, “Prove yourself first and then maybe.”  One India lives in the optimism of our hearts.  The other India lurks within the scepticism of our minds.  My friends, this India that wants to progress, this India that is asking for a chance to prove herself, this India that lives in the positivity of our hearts is the enthusiastic and zestful youth of today. So all hopes rests on our shoulders to take India to unachieved heights of excellence, to re-establish our golden age, to elevate our nation to the pinnacle of all glory.

So in the end, ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for our country.  So ultimately, whatever little hope we have lies in our hands.  So make the right choice....  Jai Hind! Jai Bharat!

Maahir, a student of Jamnabhai Narsee School and winner of the All-India ICSE Debate Competition, is the son of Sheetal and Devang Shah.  He presented this speech at the Rising Stars 2013 function .