Minister of State for Human Resource Development and renowned author Dr Shashi Tharoor shared his wisdom and optimism with students of the Doon School last evening, holding their attention with his effervescent and dynamic speech sprinkled with his characteristic sense of humour.
He told the students, the young ‘Doscos’ that they were growing up in an India which was undergoing tremendous changes, both good and bad. “But on the whole, we are in times of great change and you should become a part of this transformation. You all have an extremely critical role to play in this world of opportunities available to you,” said Tharoor in his almost hour-long interaction with the students and teachers. He said the ‘Indian Dream’ should not be slept over.
“It has to be dreamt with your eyes open. Don’t forget that the harder you work, the luckier you will get. Nurture and retain the friendships you form here and overcome divisions of caste, language and religion .This legacy of friendship and shared memories will help you move forward towards a future where we will celebrate the unity of the country,” said Tharoor in his extremely impressive and inspiring talk.
He said in these days of information technology, what were needed were “well formed minds” and not “well-filled minds”. “Well-formed minds are needed to understand and create ideas. Teachers should encourage students to experiment with their minds and learn to do out-of-the-box thinking.”
Tharoor said that one need not necessarily be a politician, bureaucrat, a social worker or in the defence forces to be able to serve the nation. “Do your best in whichever profession you choose and you will be contributing to the country. Keep your mind open to learning. Always remember that talent not nurtured is a criminal waste.”
He said people often accused the Doon School as well as St. Stephen’s College, where he studied, of being ‘elitist’. He said he had always defended his alma mater against such criticism. “These institutions have been called bastions of unearned privilege or closed clubs. Students have strong bonds and are close to each other. This cannot be criticised. The screening process is necessary and cannot be dismissed as elitism. I would say that elitism here and at St.Stephen’s College is an elitism of excellence. It is a collective quest for excellence. It is exemplary leadership,” said Tharoor.
He told the students to think over what they would like their personal stories to be. “Each one of you will be telling a story. You have to decide what your story is going to be. Make sure it influences and inspires others. You should have a story to be proud about.”
Tharoor said that the Doscos, when they come out of school, should be conscious of their responsibility and be open to the outside world. “We have a lot of challenges before us and we need you to be part of the solutions of these challenges and problems.”
After his speech, students asked him questions to which he elaborately replied. One of the boys asked him whether India should go to war with Pakistan and whether India should let Kashmir go. Tharoor said war without a specific purpose never really accomplished anything. “Choosing to go to war is not a wise option. We need peace to develop. And as far as Kashmir is concerned, we should not let it go. If we surrender, we would become vulnerable to any bully with a gun. We have to stand up despite the blows.
He also said that educated, middle class people needed to get into political space. Only then would things improve. He said it was not enough to say that things were bad. Well-educated people should enter politics to make things better.
He said the Doon School was a model of education and its quest for excellence made it a national pride. Doon School Head Master Peter Maclaughlin introduced him to the audience as a “formidable intellect” and “a man of his times.” He admired his “charismatic oratory” and wonderful optimism. Doscos gave Dr.Tharoor a standing ovation.