The Speech, The End, The Beginning

(My last speech at Hexmaster's; the first time when I spoke and heard my own voice and felt that yes I can address the people. It had my feelings and concerns which I expressed in my blogs. This is not my best speech; the best will be the one when instead of me, the people will speak. But nonetheless it is a beginning..)
Master of Ceremony, Evaluators, Fellow HexMasters, Respected Guests, Good Afternoon – I am Rajat Maheshwari – and I will be giving my organized speech today. Today I will talk about ‘my take on Karmbhumi- the workplace and the nation, and Me’.
Before I go ahead I want to set stage for a little exercise through a story. A master of martial arts asked Bruce Lee to teach him everything Bruce knew about martial arts. Bruce held up two cups, both filled with liquid. “The first cup,” said Bruce, “represents all of your knowledge about martial arts. The second cup represents all of my knowledge about martial arts. If you want to fill your cup with my knowledge, you must first give me some space in your cup of knowledge.”
Listen to me with all ears. Give my words a little space in your mind and your heart.

I’ll start with a few lines on the terrorist’s attacks on 26/11/2008 Go back into that time think about it… think about the bloodshed…. think about the culprits-the terrorists-the politicians-the government servants-the people…. think about the rage, the pain in your heart then…. and today….

“Kuch din ka wo josh tha, Kuch din ka wo rosh tha,
Kuch din ke liye khoon chala aur khoon chal ke ruk gaya…

Kuch pal ke wo jazbaat the, kuch pal ko aankhen nam thi,
Kuch pal ke liye khoon chala aur khoon chal ke ruk gaya…

Kuch aag lagi thi dil me, kuch aag lag ke bujh gayi,
Kuch awaaz uthi thi dil me aur awaaz uth kar dab gayi,
Kuch shabd dil ko chubh gaye, kuch dil cheer ke nikal gaye,
Kuch kar gujarne ko khoon chala aur khoon chalk ke ruk gaya…”

How many times… just how many times we decide to take a stand, try to do something and then forget about it, give it up, let it pass by. WHY??
Why don’t we do it?
At this point pause to take stock of your own position. What is that, that one thing that you always wanted to do? Why haven’t you done it, WHY?
30 secs think about it.

If u want to be as good sportsman as Sachin, you need to play and score like him.
If you want to be as famous as Amitabh Bachchan, you need to act like him.
If you want to be as rich as Bill Gates, then you need to earn like him.
If you want to erect your own statues all over the state, you need to be as powerful as Mayawati.
The statement is simple if you want something that you never had; you’ve to do something you have never done.

I want to be a politician and today I am a techie… but my values and my path are intact. “Jagah badlegi tevar nahi”
As a techie, I love the place where I work, I love my first company. This is the place where, from an amateur I became a professional. I will never forget my first lessons, the guidance of the able men with whom I worked. Like every person, I too have my dreams big and small, to make it sometime. I still remember how I longed that before leaving this company I'll carry that excellence award in my hand, and I worked hard for it, struggled for it but it eluded me, I thought may be some other time, some other place…
If any recognition comes to me it should not come as an obligation, as a favor but by my work, my efforts. A man needs to be judged for what he is, with the same respect for truth, with the same incorruptible vision and treated accordingly.
I do not support my life by robbery or by alms, but my own effort, so I DO NOT SEEK TO DERIVE MY HAPPINESS FROM THE FAVORS OF OTHERS, BUT EARN IT BY MY OWN ACHIEVEMENT. My truth is only my motive. My truth and my work to achieve it in my own way… I am not serving anything, I am not serving anyone. I am living for myself. And only by living for myself I am able to achieve things. My work is my valentine.
At work when I was faced with a situation where I had to choose between my job and my values, I chose my values. I had to walk the difficult path to reach the beautiful destination. For me happiness lies not only in the mere possession of money, it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of putting in those efforts which generated results. The joy and moral stimulation of work should never be forgotten.

And now I’ll talk about my country, the path is the same. A country is guided by its able leaders. However much I love my country, my home, my motherland it’s not a blind love there are things which I want to change in my country, there is a system which I see as wrong and I wish to correct. No matter where you are, no matter what your situations are if there is something wrong raise your voice against it; fight it. Only a foolish optimist can deny the dark realities of the moment.
But the problem is we have learned to live with ‘wrongs’. We head beat over the sorry state of affairs instead of exploring the solutions. That’s not my job, that’s not my responsibility, that’s what we say. We refuse to suffer from all depravations and refuse to raise our voice. And when it becomes too much, we crib.
Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong…. If I say that a 100 times or a 1000 the situation will not change.
If you’ll crib, if you’ll complain, that the evil is prevailing over the good; it is because there is no good on the other side to take on the battle. Those who are corrupts, are working so hard and taking so much pain, to keep the corruption not just alive but augmenting. That’s why they have the last say; the final victory… no one is defending the morality. It is the human spirit that defines the lives of a nation.

When I hear that we will never overcome the corruption prevalent in our system, when I hear that we will never overcome the divides in my country, when I hear that we can’t do it…. I just have to say,

"Ye karmbhumi Kuruksheetra ka maidan hai, saamne burai ke 100 Kaurav khade hai,
Utar maidan me tu sacchai ki gada aur imandari ka gandiv lekar,
Saarthi to Krishna khud ban jayenge
Saarthi to Krishna khud ban jayenge”

P.S.- I will like to thank Parinita, the founder of the Hexmaster's who helped me with my speech preparation, without her help my words would not have met the purpose and I will like to thank all the Hexmaster's for being such a wonderful companion in my journey.