Hyderabad: “Where are we headed? Does the country have a vision? Do we think of ourselves as a country?” These are the questions raised by middle-aged professionals who gathered for a cold drink outside a soda stall at Road No. 12, Banjara Hills on Saturday evening.
Comedian Raj Shekar strongly advocates a unified thought of looking at the country as a whole. He says, “When a young man thinks, he first thinks of himself, then his family, then community. Country comes last. If we have to bring about a change, we have to inculcate the thought of putting the country first.”
IT manager Nitin Kumar S. agrees with Mr Shekhar and says there must be a method to inculcate this feeling of nationalism among the masses. The best way to do is begin with an evaluation system of the present leaders.
He says, “We must have an evaluation system in terms of actual work, promises made, promises fulfilled, people benefited, people neglected and also ability to get work done. Once these parameters are set, one would know who is the best. It’s high time we inculcate a feeling for one’s country not in school children but in adults and teenagers. The feeling has to go from top to bottom and not vice versa.”
Chandra Shekar, chief operating officer of Jain Group of Institutions feels that the thought is too philosophical and its implementation will take another two generations.
He believes that right now, we must ensure good governance. “For me, the city and country must be safe, clean and also commutable. We need an all inclusive and sustainable growth,” he says.
Growth is one thing that businessman Vinay Hegde is waiting for. He relocated to Hyderabad from Mumbai a decade ago and was impressed by the city. Now, he says, the downfall of the city pains him a lot. “Whatever happens to the country will still be taken care of, but if people of Hyderabad don’t make the right choice in this elections the slide will be very detrimental to business. People must elect those who promise development,” he said.
