Youth and Dreams

"Swamiji, if you become the Prime Minister of India, what will you do first?" an eighth standard girl student asked me in Hindi. I was there to interact with the students of that village school. It was at Ranchi in Jharkhand. I was caught unaware, and was bit confused. "Well..... I am a Sanyasi.....and I do not wish to be the Prime Minister of India,” I told her in Hindi hesitantly. “But, suppose you become?" she insisted on getting an answer. "I will ensure that all children in India will be taken care of very well. No child will ever go to bed hungry again, or suffer from malnutrition. All children will go to school where motherly and loving teachers will take good care of them and teach them with great love?” I answered, sharing my long cherished dream with the class of students who were waiting eagerly to hear my response. The bare-footed girl in her torn dress ran up to me and hugged me. She was almost in tears. I was surprised, but held her close to me for some time, wiped her tears, gave a kiss on her cheek and sent her back to her seat. Later on, I asked the class teacher about this child. The teacher told me that the child was an orphan being brought up by the watchman of the school. I visited their house and was pained to see the pathetic living condition of the family. It was many years ago. But the face of that child is still vivid in my mind. Children are good dreamers. They often are not able to differentiate between dreams and the realities of life. Many a time they escape from their painful realities by day-dreaming about good things and better days. Dreams have great power of transformation if they are accepted and used in the proper manner. In fact, all great achievements have behind them great dreamers who dreamt of great things and went through great suffering to realise their dreams. When youth and dreams combine, great things are bound to happen. India has the largest youth force in the world. We have to help our youth to dream big. This is what our former President, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, is trying to do. He is challenging the Indian youth to dream big. This is what all of must do if we desire to see India great.