If I have a million dollars, I would use it to change the world. How can the world be changed? Not through war. Not through legislation. Not through coercion or force. Not through manipulation. Not through condition.
As I understand the word 'change', I understand how to achieve it. Enough talk. Here's what I would do. As I am in India, I would do what Gandhi would do. The best way to reach the current Indian society is through campaigning in their tongues. I could advertise change on TV, but it would be lost as soon as the ad ends. I could advertise change on bill-boards, but it would be lost at the end of the contract term. I could advertise change in the newspapers, but it would be lost at the end of the day. How can I get a message across to all the people in India, and also make sure that the material version of the message lasts for the longest period?
Should I paint it in the sky with smoke? Should I write it on the sands of the coasts? I must reach as many people as possible, with the physical message lasting for at least five years. Where do Indians go to find peace? Where do we look most of the time? Hannibal said, 'We covet what we see everyday'. If I can print change on what Indians see everyday, I will have accomplished my task. Indians go to temples everyday. Indians watch TV everyday. Indians read the papers everyday. Indians see the roads everyday. Indians watch cricket everyday. Indians criticize the government everyday. Indians see the roads and shops everyday. My message must pervade all these media, which Indians see everyday. And when they see it everyday, they will begin to covet it everyday.
I am willing to spend the million, if even for a second, it will make the Indian billion think together. What is it that Indians remember the most? Narayana Murthy said, positive social change begins in areas outside of government control. The shops are outside government control. The media is outside government control. The rice and wheat fields are outside government control. How can I use them to bring change?
As I understand the word 'change', I understand how to achieve it. Enough talk. Here's what I would do. As I am in India, I would do what Gandhi would do. The best way to reach the current Indian society is through campaigning in their tongues. I could advertise change on TV, but it would be lost as soon as the ad ends. I could advertise change on bill-boards, but it would be lost at the end of the contract term. I could advertise change in the newspapers, but it would be lost at the end of the day. How can I get a message across to all the people in India, and also make sure that the material version of the message lasts for the longest period?
Should I paint it in the sky with smoke? Should I write it on the sands of the coasts? I must reach as many people as possible, with the physical message lasting for at least five years. Where do Indians go to find peace? Where do we look most of the time? Hannibal said, 'We covet what we see everyday'. If I can print change on what Indians see everyday, I will have accomplished my task. Indians go to temples everyday. Indians watch TV everyday. Indians read the papers everyday. Indians see the roads everyday. Indians watch cricket everyday. Indians criticize the government everyday. Indians see the roads and shops everyday. My message must pervade all these media, which Indians see everyday. And when they see it everyday, they will begin to covet it everyday.
I am willing to spend the million, if even for a second, it will make the Indian billion think together. What is it that Indians remember the most? Narayana Murthy said, positive social change begins in areas outside of government control. The shops are outside government control. The media is outside government control. The rice and wheat fields are outside government control. How can I use them to bring change?
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