ENGLISH SPEECH | R. MADHAVAN: India in 2030 (English Subtitles)

Summary

In this inspiring speech, the actor shares his vision for India in 2030, emphasizing the importance of addressing rural challenges and preserving cultural traditions. He advocates for a balanced development where villages are as prosperous as cities, and education and opportunities are accessible to all. The speaker dreams of a future where India is a global knowledge hub and where leaders serve with a missionary zeal. He humorously weaves in personal aspirations as an actor and concludes with a heartfelt tribute to the importance of family and nation.

Takeaways

• 🎭 The speaker, an actor, emphasizes the importance of dreams and their role in shaping the future, particularly for India by 2030.
• 🌟 He quotes Dr. Abdul Kalam, highlighting that dreams are not just nocturnal visions but aspirations that drive action and passion.
• 🏛️ The speaker acknowledges India's rich cultural heritage and resilience despite historical challenges, positioning it as a nation with the potential for significant growth.
• 🌳 The speaker points out the disparities between urban and rural India, advocating for the development of 'smart villages' to strengthen the nation as a whole.
• 🚀 He discusses India's progress in various sectors like economy, space technology, and IT, and stresses the need for a balanced and inclusive growth.
• 🌱 The speaker shares a personal anecdote about preparing for a film role to illustrate the importance of holistic development rather than focusing on isolated areas.
• 🏥 A humorous story about a doctor and his patient is used to caution against making assumptions about the needs of rural India without understanding their true context.
• 🏘️ The speaker argues for the preservation of rural culture and traditions, which he sees as vital for India's identity and mental well-being.
• 🌐 He envisions 2030 as a time when India is not only a global leader in education and technology but also a place where rural development is on par with urban areas.
• 🗳️ The speaker dreams of a political system in India that values service over power, leading to a nation proud of its leadership and progress.
• 💬 Lastly, as an actor, he humorously dreams of remaining relevant and youthful in the film industry, using technology to adapt to roles in 2030.

Q & A

What is the speaker's overall vision for India in 2030?

The speaker envisions an India in 2030 where every citizen is equally satisfied with their work, allowing them to devote more time to art and culture. They dream of a country that has eradicated inequality, provides opportunities for all, and sees rural India developed and empowered alongside urban areas.

How does the speaker define true dreams, according to Dr. Abdul Kalam?

The speaker quotes Dr. Abdul Kalam, defining true dreams as those that don't let you sleep. A dream becomes a desire when it recurs, and when seen three times consecutively, it turns into a passion, aim, and goal.

What analogy does the speaker use to describe the current state of India’s development?

The speaker compares India’s development to a person who only exercises their biceps and triceps, neglecting other muscles. This disproportionate growth makes India look inadequate, similar to how focusing on certain areas of progress, like economic growth and space technology, without equally developing rural areas, creates imbalance.

What does the speaker highlight as the biggest financial burden for rural villagers in India?

The biggest financial burden for rural villagers, according to the speaker, is dealing with the untimely death of a relative. The costs associated with funeral ceremonies, feeding guests, and other expenditures often lead villagers into debt.

What does the speaker identify as a dangerous assumption regarding rural development in India?

The speaker warns against assuming what rural India needs, stating that this approach can lead to misguided efforts. Instead, they emphasize the importance of understanding the actual needs of rural people, as assumptions often lead to mismanagement and inefficiency.

What lesson does the speaker draw from the story about a man asking for an appendix operation?

The story illustrates the danger of making assumptions. The speaker uses this anecdote to highlight how doctors, like policymakers, might make assumptions about what people need without truly listening or understanding the situation. In this case, the man had two wives, and the doctor assumed it was the same wife as before.

How does the speaker connect India's culture and tradition to mental health?

The speaker suggests that India's culture and tradition, deeply rooted in its villages, act as a support system for mental health. Unlike urban areas where psychiatrists are more common, rural India relies on traditional stories, epics, and cultural values to maintain a high level of mental well-being.

What does the speaker envision for rural India by 2030?

By 2030, the speaker envisions rural India being as developed and aspirational as urban India. They imagine a time when villagers are provided with the same opportunities, allowing them to enjoy life, explore art and culture, and contribute to the country’s progress.

How does the speaker view the role of political leaders in achieving the 2030 vision?

The speaker dreams of a meritocratic electoral system where leaders are chosen based on merit and serve with a missionary zeal to benefit the nation rather than to rule it. They emphasize the importance of leaders who can relate to the common people while pursuing national progress.

What humorous dream does the speaker have for themselves as an actor in 2030?

The speaker humorously dreams of still being relevant and handsome in 2030, potentially using technology to look younger or older as needed. They joke about continuing to romance younger actors in films, even as they age.

Outlines

00:00

🌟 Inspiring Dreams for India 2030

The speaker begins by expressing gratitude for being invited to the Inspire Series at Harvard, a place they never thought they would reach. They acknowledge the eloquent speeches of others who have shared their dreams for India, backed by facts and figures. As an actor, the speaker shares their own dream for India in 2030, inspired by Dr. Abdul Kalam's definition of dreams that drive one to action. They reference Abraham Lincoln's philosophy on preparation and emphasize the need for a missionary zeal to achieve India's goals by 2030. The speaker reflects on India's unique identity, despite historical challenges, and its current status as a growing economy with a young, educated population. They also touch upon India's social issues but highlight the potential for India to find unique solutions to global problems, drawing on its history of non-violent freedom and the dreams of its historical figures.

05:02

🌱 The Disproportionate Growth of India

In this paragraph, the speaker discusses the concept of disproportionate growth, using their personal experience of preparing for a film role to illustrate the point. They argue that India's growth is similar to their unbalanced physical training, where focusing on only certain aspects leads to an inadequate outcome. The speaker suggests that India's progress, while notable in areas like economy and technology, is not reaching its rural areas, which they consider the nation's weakest link. They emphasize the need for 'smart villages' and criticize the assumption that urban solutions are automatically beneficial for rural India. The speaker shares a humorous anecdote about a doctor and his patient to highlight the dangers of making assumptions about what others need. They conclude by stressing the importance of understanding and addressing the actual needs of rural India to achieve balanced growth.

10:03

🏡 The Plight and Potential of Rural India

The speaker delves into the challenges faced by rural India, particularly the financial burden caused by the untimely death of family members and the societal pressure to conduct expensive funerals. They discuss how this burden leads to debt and a sense of inadequacy, pushing people to leave their villages for cities. The speaker references Lord Macaulay's 1735 speech to draw a parallel between historical and current strategies to maintain control over India by instilling a sense of inadequacy. They argue for the importance of preserving rural culture and tradition, which they see as vital for India's mental and emotional well-being. The speaker dreams of a 2030 where rural India is developed, aspirational, and where villagers have the same opportunities as city dwellers, including the ability to engage in art and culture.

15:04

🌐 A Vision for India's Global Relevance and Personal Dreams

In the final paragraph, the speaker shares their vision for India's future, hoping that by 2030, it will be a place where students from around the world come to study and gain knowledge. They dream of a meritocratic electoral system that selects leaders committed to serving the nation. The speaker also expresses a personal dream for the film industry, envisioning a future where technology allows them to remain relevant and youthful on screen. They conclude with a quote attributed to Abraham Lincoln, emphasizing the importance of valuing one's mother and motherland, and extend this sentiment to include respect for one's mother-in-law. The speaker ends on a light note, reminding the audience of their identity as an actor and thanking them for their attention.

Keywords

💡Dream

In the context of the video, 'dream' refers to aspirations and visions for the future, particularly for India in 2030. The speaker emphasizes the importance of dreams that drive action and passion, as illustrated by the quote from Dr. Abdul Kalam, 'Dreams are not what you have when you sleep. The true dreams are the ones that don’t let you sleep.' This concept is central to the speaker's message about India's potential and the need for a collective vision to achieve it.

💡Inspiration

The term 'inspiration' is used to describe the feeling of being motivated or encouraged, often by someone or something. The speaker mentions being inspired by the intellectual gathering at Harvard and the dreams for India shared by others. Inspiration is a driving force behind the pursuit of the dreams and goals discussed in the video.

💡Cultural Identity

Cultural identity refers to the distinctive characteristics of a society, such as its beliefs, values, arts, and traditions. The speaker talks about how India has maintained its cultural identity despite various invasions and rule over the years. This concept is important in the video as it ties to the speaker's vision for India's future, where cultural preservation is as important as economic growth.

💡Quantum Change

Quantum change implies a significant and sudden shift or transformation. The speaker believes that a 'missionary zeal' is required to bring about a quantum change in India, moving from the current state to the dreamed future. This change is necessary to address the challenges and harness the potential that India has.

💡Rural India

Rural India represents the countryside and villages, which the speaker identifies as the weakest link in the nation's development. The speaker discusses the need for growth and progress that includes rural areas, emphasizing that a nation is only as strong as its weakest link. This keyword is central to the speaker's vision for a balanced and inclusive development of India.

💡Adequacy

Adequacy, in this context, refers to the state of being sufficient or suitable. The speaker mentions that rural Indians often feel inadequate due to societal pressures and economic burdens, leading them to migrate to cities. The concept is used to highlight the need for equitable development and the importance of self-sufficiency and pride in one's identity.

💡Cultural Preservation

Cultural preservation is the act of maintaining and protecting a group's cultural heritage. The speaker underscores the importance of preserving India's deep-rooted culture and tradition, which provides a sense of identity and strength. This keyword is integral to the speaker's dream of a future India that values and nurtures its cultural roots.

💡Meritocracy

Meritocracy is a system where individuals are selected or rewarded based on their ability and achievements. The speaker dreams of a 2030 India with a meritocratic electoral base, where leaders are chosen for their competence and commitment to serve the nation. This concept is linked to the speaker's vision of a progressive and effective governance system.

💡Global Aspiration

Global aspiration refers to the desire for something to be recognized or successful on a worldwide scale. The speaker envisions a 2030 where India is not only aspirational for its citizens but also for students worldwide, who would dream of coming to India for education and cultural enrichment.

💡Technological Advancement

Technological advancement pertains to the development and introduction of new technologies. The speaker humorously mentions the potential for technology to allow him to look as young or old as required for acting roles in 2030. This keyword reflects the speaker's hope for India to harness technology for various sectors, including entertainment and beyond.

💡Self-Sufficiency

Self-sufficiency is the ability to provide for one's own needs without external assistance. The speaker discusses the importance of rural India becoming self-sufficient, with the same opportunities as urban areas, to ensure a balanced development. This keyword is crucial to the speaker's vision of an India that does not leave any of its parts behind.

Highlights

The speaker expresses gratitude for being invited to the Inspire Series and shares his mother's disbelief in his reaching Harvard.

As an actor, the speaker emphasizes the importance of dreams, quoting Dr. Abdul Kalam's definition of true dreams.

The speaker shares his dream for India in 2030, inspired by the idea that dreams are not just nocturnal but are the ones that drive action.

A quote from Abraham Lincoln is used to stress the importance of preparation in achieving goals, drawing a parallel to the speaker's vision for India.

The speaker acknowledges India's rich cultural heritage and resilience despite historical challenges.

Despite existing issues like corruption and social divisions, the speaker points out India's progress as a growing economy and its democratic resilience.

The speaker argues for the need to find unique solutions to global problems, citing India's historical non-violent freedom struggle as an example.

The speaker shares a dream for 2030 where India has eradicated the problems that still persist from the past, such as lack of education and employment.

The speaker emphasizes the need for a holistic approach to health and development, using his own fitness journey as a metaphor for India's growth.

The speaker calls for attention to rural India, arguing that it is the 'weakest link' in the country's development.

The speaker critiques the assumption-driven approach to solving rural India's problems, advocating for a more informed and empathetic strategy.

A humorous anecdote illustrates the dangers of making assumptions, highlighting the need to understand rural India's true needs.

The speaker discusses the cultural richness of rural India and its importance in maintaining the country's traditions and mental well-being.

The speaker's dream for 2030 includes a developed rural India with equal opportunities to cities, and a culture that values art and poetry.

The speaker envisions a future where India is a global educational hub, with international students seeking knowledge in the country.

The speaker calls for a meritocratic electoral system that selects leaders committed to serving the nation with passion.

The speaker humorously shares his personal dream for 2030, hoping to remain relevant and youthful in the film industry, possibly with the help of technology.

The speaker concludes with a quote attributed to Abraham Lincoln, emphasizing the importance of appreciating one's mother, motherland, and mother-in-law.

The speaker ends with a humble reminder of his identity as an actor, thanking the audience for their attention.

Transcripts

So, first of all, thank you very much for having me here at the Inspire Series.

It’s worked dramatically, I’m already inspired to be addressing this really August

intellectual gathering of people from Harvard, a place that my mother thought I will never

reach.

But you know what, lot of people have spoken before me and eloquently and described their

dreams for India and given figures and facts that either are skeptical and like, Mr. Omar

says, aspirational.

But I’m just an actor and I’m going to just give you my dream shamelessly, because

that’s the thing that I can do best.

And by that, I mean when we talk of dreams we have one of our greatest scientists and

philanthropists Dr. Abdul Kalam, and he said something which is very interesting.

He said, “Dreams are not what you have when you sleep.

The true dreams are the ones that don’t let you sleep”.

He said, “When you have that dream once it’s a dream; when you have it twice it

becomes a desire.

And when you see it for the third time consecutively, it becomes a passion, an aim and a goal”,

and that is the passion with which I want to see this fantasy that I have for India

2030.

And Abraham Lincoln also was a dreamer and you know, but he said one thing that makes

most sense in trying to achieve this goal that I have dreamed for my nation.

He said, “If I have six hours to cut down a tree, then I would spend the first four

hours sharpening the axe.”

There’s a great philosophy in that.

In this era of instant gratification we just keep thinking we can achieve all these goals

by just tweaking this, tweaking that, it’s not true.

I really believe that a missionary zeal is required to make that quantum change, that

can make 2030 of what I’m dreaming about right now.

And just let’s look at India as a country, what a unique nation!

Seriously.

Thousands of years old of culture and tradition, many many invasions, being ruled for many

years and we still somehow managed to maintain our identity.

We still somehow have managed to maintain our Indian-ness — our beliefs, our faith

and you know, yeah, there has been — we have our drawbacks — there is corruption,

there is violence, there is differences between the different religions and sects and caste

and everything.

But I can’t help but think looking at India at the geography that we’re not doing really

that bad.

Look at all the other nations around in the world.

Look at our neighbors, compared to that there is somebody in India who’s doing something

right for us to be called a growing economy and being projected as the third largest economy

in 2026 and the most educated and young nation in the world, it’s still functional democracy.

So let’s first accept the fact that there is somebody, some people in India with the

right ideas and the ability to lead the nation to where we are today.

Under that assumption — under that assumption we are also very capable of finding very unique

solutions to the problems that generally the world faces.

And one of them, of course, is the fact that we found freedom through non-violence and

non-cooperation; who would’ve thought that was possible?

We have some other – no, seriously I mean it was as radical of thought then as it is

today, and one man in a loincloth would believe in faith and complete conviction was able

to do that for us — you know, Mahatma Gandhi, and it’s an amazing country of people like

Mahavir, Gautam Buddha and Mahatma Gandhi and then Bhagat Singh who also had a dream.

He dreamed then 85 years ago, that I dream of an India where no infant cries for the

want of milk, no youngster is deprived of relevant education, and no youth goes door

to door finding a job.

Sadly, it’s still a dream today.

And I dream of a 2030 when this dream becomes irrelevant.

I dream of a 2030 when everybody is so equally satisfied with what they’re doing, that

they’re able to actually devote about more time back to art and culture which is another

great important aspect of our country.

Now we need to be – for that to happen we need to be a healthy nation.

And when I say healthy, I remember preparing for a film of mine which was released recently

where I had to look like a boxer and I had this biceps and triceps that had to be there.

So I decided just to work on the parts that is seen outside my clothes.

So I was just working out of my biceps and my triceps and my shoulders but you know what

I suddenly realized, the strengths that I had in my arms and biceps was not actually

enough for me to look even fit because it is disproportionate growth.

It is the kind of growth that will not make you fit or strong but actually make you look

inadequate.

And that is what is happening to India today.

Everybody says we are the largest economy — we’re going to be the most populated

country in the years to come and you know with economic superpower and supremacy in

rocket and space technology which I am privy to and then the IT giants and smarter cities.

But ladies and gentlemen, I really believe that more than smarter cities we require smart

villages.

And this is going to be primarily what I talk about today.

You know, a nation is only as strong as its weakest link and rural India is our weakest

link.

See, it’s important that growth and progress goes hand-in-hand with villages also getting

onto the same train towards economic freedom, super-powerdom, all terms that has been coined

for a successful country but that is not happening, the reason being we’re beginning to ignore

them, we’re beginning to actually believe that —

This is a very interesting line that I have found, where they say that everybody believes

that they know what is required for getting the underprivileged and the poor up to speed

with the rest of the country.

OK, and we always start assuming that this is what they want; this is how we can help

the poor and the villages and this is what they need.

And we can’t be more wrong, because when you assume, and as the spelling goes you make

an ass of you and me, let me tell you how that happened to a friend of mine.

His name was — he’s a very profound doctor, a gastroenterologist, and he got a call from

his patient Mr. Abdul, who said, “Doctor Saab, my wife is really really ill and she’s

got a big stomach ache and she can’t sit and she can’t sleep and she’s in big pain,

can I come and visit you?”

And he said, ‘Yes, by all means’.

And like all patients today he’s done his research, he’s gone into the internet and

he said, “usko yeh ho sakta hain, wo sakta hain, and the doctor said, ‘Don’t worry

let me handle it’.

And he checked her out and he said “She has an infected appendix, so I have to do

a surgery and she’ll be fine.”

The surgery was done, she was fine and Abdul was a happy man.

One year later, he calls back to doctor and says, “Sir, my wife has got a stomach ache,

please do the appendix operation, she’ll be fine.”

And so doctor said — the doctor Manu said, “Listen, I am the doctor, let me diagnose,

Abdul, please bring her to the clinic and we’ll fix it up.”

But he said, ‘No, no, sir fix up that operation date, we’ll do it in half an hour and we’ll

be back — just she needs that appendix removed’.

So now he’s losing his patience, he says “Let me do the diagnosis, Abdul, bring her

to the clinic.”

And he’s still insisting and finally the doctor lost it, and he said, “Listen, I

am the doctor and let me tell you that every human being has only one appendix, and I have

already taken out the appendix.

So please don’t tell me how to do my job.”

Abdul waited very patiently for the doctor to finish with his assumptions and then he

shot back very meekly, he says, “Sir, I agree with you, every human being can have

one appendix but a man can have two wives, right?”

So when we start assuming what the rural India needs, we do what I think is most dangerous.

In my vast experiences of shooting in really rural India’s, and villages and small [cook-gramins]

like they call it in Tamil, really small places, I realized shockingly that the biggest financial

burden for a person of this particular village, would you all be able to guess what his biggest

financial burden is — five minutes!

Hey so I’m going to speak for 20 today, I am going to reduce the number of questions,

I’m prepared, is that OK?

OK, so can you all tell me, anybody, quick answers — anybody know which is the biggest

financial burden for a man in one of these small villages?

Sorry, tap, health, OK.

Not health, not the marriage of a daughter, not education, not – liquor, thank you for

reminding me, no.

Say it again, dowry, no, no, no, no.

Let me put you out of your misery.

I’m saying why does he need financial assistance for — the answer is the untimely death of

one relative of a senior in their family, that is the one occasion he can’t prepare

for, that is one occasion where the ceremony demands that he spend a certain amount of

money, feed a certain amount of people, use the funeral expenditures and that’s where

he takes the loan and that’s where he gets indebted and that’s where, to escape that

particular embarrassment and humility of not having the ability to perform the function

every year as a specter of the Indian tradition that he decides to leave the village, because

he’s made to feel inadequate.

Lord Macaulay in 1735 had spoken in the British Parliament and said, “The only way to rule

India is to make the men there feel inadequate”, he said and truly so, that unless he feels

that what he has is lesser than what others have, you will not be able to rule him.

And within a very short period they proved themselves right.

The rural India today is feeling inadequate, they are feeling like they’re not even part

of our country.

And what happens with that is they start then looking at opportunities in villages and saying

better education, better health, better lifestyle and no humility for not having performed the

funeral properly, they decide to give up who they are and move to the cities.

And who they are is what is more important for us to understand.

Who they are, are actually the timekeepers and the bookkeepers of our deep-rooted traditional

culture and stories.

You know, you should see how tradition and culture flourishes in a happy village in India.

We don’t have psychiatrist as a big fashion thing in India and they still manage to maintain

a great level of sanity.

You know, there’s a great phrase from the poem, ‘If’ by Rudyard Kipling where it

says, ‘Dream but not make dreams your master; think but not make thoughts your aim; meet

with triumph and disaster and treat those two Impostors just the same.’

It’s very easy to say it but how do you treat those two Impostors just the same?

The answer lies in the tradition and the culture and the books and the epics that are so prominent

and predominant in our country – The Bhagavad Gita, the Koran, the interpretation of that

in the subcontinent, the Bible, the Guru Granth Sahib, the Granny stories, and you know how

to handle the diversities and the setbacks and you’re able to sit back, assemble — reassemble

yourself, come back and fight with the same glory again.

And we don’t give him — when you don’t give a villager that, you’re depriving him,

we’re depriving ourselves of what I think is one of the most important survival tools

in today’s world, which is the culture and tradition.

So I dream of a 2030 where rural India is as developed as the rest of the world, is

as aspirational as the rest of India and where the villager is providedg with the same opportunities

as it is available in the cities.

And after a hard day’s work, a villager is actually able to come back, sit down, have

a drink, put his feet up and start thinking about art and culture and poetry.

That would be a dream that I have for 2030 — a practical dream that I have for 2030.

And the dreams that your parents and my parents had when we were in college — urban middle

class – where everything revolved around the boy, studying hard, getting into a technical

college of a repute and then getting into a reputed managements college and finally

the green card.

And if it was the girl, then it was a spouse with a green card.

I dream of a 2030 where students the world over will dream of a blue card, will dream

of having once actually come to India and study and imbibe the knowledge that we have

as a nation.

It used to be true: we were the first university in the world – Nalanda was the university

where people came in from far and wide.

So it’s not a pipe dream, it’s a practical dream that I have, and I think that’s easily,

easily attainable.

And finally, before I wind up, I think, I’ll dream of a 2030 where we have a meritocratic

electoral base which selects its leaders and whose leaders believe that it is more important

to serve — with a missionary zeal to serve the nation rather than rule it.

You know, there is another stanza from the same poem which says that, if they have the

ability to talk to the crowds yet keep your virtue, walk with Kings – nor lose the common

touch, if neither good friends nor foes can hurt you, yet all men count with you but none

too much — if only the politicians understood the gist of that line, we would have a progressive

country by 2030 where we’ll all be proud of not just the way the country is running

but also proud about our politicians.

And finally, you know, I’m an actor and the dream that I have for myself is that in

2030 I’m as relevant and as handsome hopefully but if age was to catch up, then they probably

would have mapped my face by then and use technology to make me look as young or old,

as the role desired me to look, and I’m still able to romance the pretty young things

that would be part of the industry in 2030.

I see that’s got many guys going ham.

And finally as an actor, I’m used and prone to dialogues, I love to speak dialogues, and

I recently found a line that blew me apart and I thought it was a phenomenal Hindi film

dialogue, where this great gentleman has said, “That whatever I am today and all the achievements

that have been – that has been possible by me and what will eventually also be possible

by me in the near future are all because of my angel mother.”

Do you know who said that?

You know who said that?

Shockingly Abraham Lincoln!

So I dream of a 2030 where every Indian says the exact same thing about his mother and

not just about his mother but also about his motherland – and also for the sake of posterity

about his mother-in-law.

But hey, ladies and gentlemen, what do I know?

I am an actor.

Thank you very much for your patient hearing.