You are the hope
Of the future
For the future
You are the embodiment
Of the pure and sublime
The Pure that is the Truth
And Truth is Divine
You are the Soul Divine
Unadulterated, unblemished
Realise and remain awake and alert
You have tasks to perform
So many, for so many
Your own self, the family,
The community and the nation
The canvas extends far and wide in the cosmos
You are inheritor of the great legacy
Of Vivekananda and Gandhi
Of Aurobindo and Tagore
Of a great culture and civilisation
That accepts and respects all
But rejects none
That adores life in all of its phases
It establishes the great symphony of
Self, Society and Nature
This heritage is yours
You are ordained to enrich it
Sustain it and preserve it
You are the trustee
Of the future of the Planet Earth
Of the infant, the child and the adolescent
And the veteran waiting for a smile from you
When you sing and rejoice
The world rejoices
Infants are enthralled
The young join your chorus
And the elders bless you
Gandhi wanted you
To look after the last one in the line
Vivekananda wanted you to feed for hungry
Feel for the poor, the ignorant, and the downtrodden
Sri Aurobindo perceived you
As the builders of the new world
Tagore thought you to be the preserver
Of the abundance of the blessings of the nature
Beyond the shores of India
Recall Socrates who wanted to shout to all citizens
From the highest place in Athens
Care for your children to whom
One day you must relinquish it all
You have to look after all those
Who looked after you in your younger days?
They are ready to relinquish it all to you
They are in your own home
They are in the neighbours’ house
And they are all around
They gave unbounded affection for decades together
They sacrificed their youth for your childhood
They know you are struggling hard
The same way as they did in their days
They need a smile from you
An affectionate glance from you
A cuddle from the grand children
Longfellow (HW) found them better than all the ballads
That ever were said or sung
For they are the living poems
Let these ballads be read again and sung again
By those who could not gather that much space
When you were young
Let their grandchildren grant them that and remember
In the name of fast pace of change
In the name of progress and prosperity
Let the families not disintegrate
Let the love and care due to every one be not denied
To any one
Gita tells us very clearly
A man is what he loves and cares for
Wordsworth recognised children
As clouds of glory that come from God
When they grow up
How can they ignore their parents and grandparents?
Froebel exhorted all of us
Come, let us all live for our children
India knew it much earlier
Let all be happy
Let all be healthy
Let good happen to all
Let no one be in pain or anguish
The effort must begin from home
From your home
From my home
Only the young can create
A home in every house
Shall you resolve to do that?
Beginning with your own
Extending all around
After all, every Indian believes that
World is but one family
To live it is education
That is learning to know and
It is learning to do
That is learning to be and
Learning to become
When generations live under one roof
Happiness and bliss just can’t be far away
Be the inheritors of the great tradition
Of love, service, sacrifice and harmony
