SHREYA CHABBRA - AGAINST

See, today I know, we are here to discuss about the topic-“WE ARE INDIANS-ARE WE PROUD OF INDIA?”…But the fact of the matter is that most of my fellow contestants are highlighting bits and pieces of India’s past…which was glorious undoubtedly but the thing that should be foremost is INDIA OF TODAY…and here is where the REALITY actually strikes.
Greetings to one and all, I am Shreya Chhabra and I am going to talk against the motion.
 
Let’s first face some quick facts and figures….
 
“Infant mortality rate: total: 50.78 deaths/1,000 live births
India ranks 63rd in the new poverty index, after Togo, before Haiti
 Literacy in India is increasing at a sluggish rate of 1.5 per cent per year, says a recent report of the National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO)”

Yes, I realize the fact that the figures I have shown say nothing new…but they are actually a mirror of India’s development.(Human Development Index).
First, as we see the infant mortality rate, we need to stop and think….Every year so many babies are dying; and some are there whose death is not even recorded. What could the reasons be….poor infrastructure, poor health facilities and gender bias…and so on. So, do we glorify our country?   
Second thing that counts is poverty…Are the citizens able to afford even the most basic amenities? Do they get the food, clean water and a home to shelter them? Do you think Aryabhata’s zero or the spectacular ceremony of the CWG 2010 will be able to compensate the daily hardships that people in the country face?
In fact, this is the basic assessment of a country’s standard of living. India is one of the poorest nations of the world, lying in league with countries like Congo, Haiti and other under-developed African states.
Just because we are the lucky ones living in a city like Delhi with all the comforts in the world, we are lacking in the reality that  our fellow countrymen go through…don’t you think we are unfair in our judgment?
Thirdly, 70% of India’s population is under the age of 40 years and we all know, that the basic need for any person to rise and gain a steady living is nothing but EDUCATION. With the population rising at a staggering rate and the available infrastructure hardly making a difference, can we make a difference really?
At this point, I recognize that my fellow contestants will over-optimistically point out that India is the knowledge hub, the IT centre and we can make a difference…
But finally, I would like to say: People, wake up to the reality of life! In being over-zealous and unpractical, we are losing control over the circumstances that can shape the future of India… we need to respect and cherish the past, but our actions should be directed in the present and our sight towards the future.
Thank you.