Essay Test – September 2

First essay after Class 10 board exams. Please review.

When India achieved Independence in 1947 it was a land of contradictions. In politics we had equality in social and economic spheres vast inequalities. Opulence and poverty existed side by side. The task of nation building was herculean, never before such a geographically and culturally diverse populace had been knit into a single nation. This task was made infinitely more difficult by the bloody memories of partition and by the shocking war in Kashmir. Building India was a leap of faith and the modern state that we have today, is infact a melted pot with the hopes and aspirations of generations of Indians.
This journey fell into place, one step at a time, one story at a time.

ECONOMIC SPHERE:
The British left the Indian industry and agriculture in an abominable state. Systematic de-industrialization of the country to meet vested British interests, had created a varied set of problems. Problems ranged from unemployment to low per capita income as well as a generally low productivity. The agriculture sector was characterized by stagnation in growth, primitive techniques and extremely low yield. To rejuvenate the indian agri and industry we made them the priorities in the first and second 5 year plans respectively.
In the agriculture industry, we introduced redistribution policies, after abolishing Zamindari rights. Strict conflict ensued, but after hefty legislation backed by judicial action we provided the tiller security. Step 1 was successful. We then went on reform the archaic, Indian Council for Agricultural Research providing farm extension training and development for illiterate farmers. Institutional borrowing avenues were introduced to lessen exlpoitation by mahajans and seths.
Nehru’s personal priority included construction of large dams to harness the riverine potential of the country. The dams so built served not only the irrigational need of farmers but also power needed for commercial growth.
All this significantly improved yield and millions of farmers benefited.

The industrial scene in the country was also pitiable. Reliant on imports for capital goods we were in conflict with constitutional ideals such as sovereignty and self reliance. We therefore embarked zealously on the Mahalanobis plan which provided for rapid industrialisation of the country. The commanding heights was reserved for the Public sector. Today we have one of the fasting growing private industries in the World who are manufacturing consumer-durable-capital goods. Companies like Tata, Reliance and Infosys, all private have become global brands.

SOCIAL SPHERE: In the social sphere, there was hardly and development in the 200 years of British rule. Literacy was as low as 17%, life expectancy a meager 32 years and morbidity and mortality extremely high.
We set upon the journey of revamping the entire social sector. The Mudaliar Committee report suggested introduction of Higher Secondary scheme of education along with 3 year degress courses and opening more and more vocational and technical schools and collegs. We did just that and millions entered the cycle of education at different stages of life.
Today, we have Industrial training centers at every nook and corner of the country, literacy rates have soared in comparison, but most importantly the importance of literacy has been realized. Nehru also relaized that the future lay in creating high quality professionals in the field of management and law and went on to establish IIMS and renowned law colleges.
IIMs today are not only Institutes of national importance, but Internationally important with heads of the largest conglomerates if the World, all IIM products.
Similarly, our lawyers like Jethmalani and Harish Salve are known for their work ethic and legal acumen. We also have an Indian judge on the coveted International Court of Justice bench.

We have been successful in curing some of the maladies in the health sector as well. Life expectancy is now around 60, and mortality has significantly reduced. Polio and small pox have been eradicated and the fight is now on TB, malaria, kala-azar and leprosy. Our doctors are globally known for their competence and relatively low costs as evidenced by the rising medical and wellness tourists in the country.

POLITICAL:
We have an extremely vibrant political fabric in the country. The erstwhile hagemonic Congress gas given way to ideologically varied parties like the AAP and BJP. In the states too, regionally assertive parties have been able to clinch electoral victories. These parties now have National presence and importance in this era of coalition politics. Elections have been on of our greatest trysts with destiny. Starting in 1952, the voter’s lists have expanded, elections have become safer and voter turnout increased. We have indeed come a long way from cutting tens of thousands of trees for ballot paper to EVMs and now VVPAT.
Untouchability has become a thing of the past, begar abolished and most recently the rights of Muslim women identified with talaq-e-bidat becoming unconstitutional. From successive high caste PMs(Nehrus,Shastri and Desai) to a Sikh anf now one from the backward classes we have indeed come a long way.

TECHNOLOGICAL:
It is amusing to believe that the components of India’s first rocket being built by ISRO was transported to the manufacturing facility in Sriharikota on cycles. Nehru had very early realized the importance of fundamental research as well as applied science and established the Bhaba Atomic Research Center,ISRO under Vikaram Sarabhai as well as the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Bombay. The IITS now paralled with MIT in terms of student quality also had humble beginnings in the mind of Nehru.
India is one of the pioneers in space research, only yesterday we launched a satellite part of the NAVIC series, IRNSS-1H. This provides for accurate regional navigation services. Only Russia, china, Europe and US have such satellites in orbit. We also broke all previous records by launching more than 100 satellites in 1 go some time back.
Our nuclear capabilities are well known, but our soft military stands and responsibility better known.

Today India is an exemplar of an ideal democracy, one which has certainly not solved all its problems but one which places the dignity of individuals over all other trivial gain. Independence was indeed our tryst with destiny, a pledge our forefathers had taken collectively for our better future. We started off slowly, with limited material resources, but with the zeal and honesty that was central to an Indian, we took rapid strides toi make India the wonder that it is today. No doubt, we have failed on many counts, but the fact that we have overcome most failures and remained closely knit, is testimony to a brighter future. Indeed, we have miles to go before we sleep, miles to go before we sleep.

The Journey Of A Thousands Miles Begins With One Step—

This quotes aptly indicates ; to explore various effects of a journey that is initiated from a single step ; a journey that will take you a thousand miles away from where you started. If you want to walk a thousand miles
you need to start by taking the first step, then the next one, and so on.
It also represents a complex endeavor, which usually starts with a fairly easy task.
For example—BUILDING A SKYSCRAPPER STARTS BY LAYING THE FIRST BRICK or startups and
giant MNCs alike as well as leaders embarking on major national initiatives.

All human beings experience some sort of transition in their life, whether it be ones search of self identity or the need for change .

Achieving the UTOPIAN dream of eradicating disease is no easy feat for a single person, but just as the CRISPR-Cas9 enzyme is minuscule compared to the genetic code, an individual can enable changes that impact an entire field. We hold fast to a sincere and audacious hope of making a significant contribution.

It sort of encourages you to a more fragmented approach to overwhelming and difficult tasks (without loosing sight of the desired end result). Even the toughest and most complex goals can often be split into
pieces that are easier to visualize.

For Example– The tree which fills the arms grew from the tiniest sprout; the tower of nine storeys rose from (small) heap of earth or A 5 story terraced garden is made of buckets of dirt and a 10000 mile journey
starts under your foot or

You may plan and dream all you want about a long journey, but you have to begin somewhere. You may have a grandiose vision or agenda for change, but the first step is crucial – getting started. So put that foot forward, and realise that this humble step will one day take you down the path to a destination that you may reach only years later. So stop dreaming about the grand IPO – start today, start now, start off with a basic product or service and then keep chipping away at it and building it up till it becomes the big success you always dreamed of!

This is true not only for a long journey, but also for a short one Even a simple action of drinking water from the tap requires that you walk to the kitchen, open the tap, and fill the glass with water. If taking the
first step is essential for such a simple act of filling a glass of water, it is of vital importance to achieving any goal.
If you wait for things to happen, probably, nothing would happen. You have to take the initiative and act. You need to take the first step, and then the other steps would follow.
Waiting, and doing nothing, do not create success, and do not help you achieve your goals, tasks or chores. You need to act. You need to move toward your goal and not wait for the right time, the right circumstances
or the right mood.

Often, laziness and inner resistance prevent you from taking the first step. Once you take one step in the direction of your goal,the second step would follow. However, you have to take the first one.

You need to start carrying out what you want or need to do, whether it is sweeping the floor, going to the store to buy milk or bread,learning a new language, finding a new job, starting a business or becoming a
writer. The first step is always important.
Once you make the first step, you gain confidence and your motivation to succeed would grow. It would then be easier to overcome laziness and inner resistance.
It is pleasant to daydream, but to make your daydreams come true you have to start walking in their direction. You have to take action.

Taking risks is an obstacle every human comes across in life. In the novel Cosi, protagonist Lewis takes a risk and agrees to direct a play with a cast of mental patients because he needed the money. As the play
progresses we see that Lewis eventually develops an emotional attachment with the inwards and soon accepts them as real human beings even though they exhibit bizarre behaviour. Having the courage to go ahead and explore different perspectives of life does indeed conclude as a positive outcome to journey. By
acting upon a single issue and sticking with it a person might discover new characteristics about themselves or the people surrounding them. This action is called Positive risk-taking; the assessment of a task to evaluate whether there are any benefits involved. This is the solution to the needed adventure in life
for all humans.
SO DOES A JOURNEY OF A THOUSAND MILES BEGIN WITH ONE STEP – YES IT DOES. However the nature of this experience will vary according to the situation. If considered in a formal way, a journey of one step can be treated as a positive risk to enlighten ones inner self.

You have to take the first step, and then the second, the third, and all the steps that separate you from your goal. This is valid for every goal, small or big, relating to your job, health, finance, self improvement or spirituality.

Remember the words of Lao Tzu, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step”, and act accordingly. Also, remember that not only a long journey begins with one step, the first step, but also a short one too.

Journey would have taught invaluable lessons and now with that confidence, do greater things. Your talent, your ability and your self-worth should make every thing else in life so wonderful, so worth while.Your
memories, trustworthy friends and love of learning come along with you wherever you go. Today’s goal is only the starting point of tomorrow’s journey
So the meaning is more like that there are no journeys, but footsteps, no hills but baskets of dirt, so don’t think of journeys but just take a step