Total Transformation And A Vision

“It is a terrible thing to see but have no vision.”

- Hellen Keller

I recall an elderly staff member in Hakeem Muhammad Sa‘eed Library of Jamia Hamdard, Qudsiyah Aapaa. Once I heard her saying, “agar fanaa se bachnaa chaaht-e ho to apnee jibillat badalt-e raho”. We need this advice of that respectable elderly lady who used to come everyday from Old Delhi. We need it as a people. We need a total transformation. An intrinsic change. What it means in actual and practical terms? Before it could mean anything in actual and practical terms we need a deep realization of the need itself. And willingness to pay the price of it. This is the first condition. We need to look at the things from an entirely different perspective. And revisit most of our preconceived notions. The rest will follow.

One of the tangible changes required is to develop a culture of reaching to some conclusions – after debating some of the important issues in detail. We debate certain issues at length. Then leave the things there. And debate some of those issues again. We keep asking for a roadmap. Once a roadmap – of sorts – is there we don’t take it further. So we keep asking for concrete programs and keep ignoring the ones which are offered. Resultantly we remain at the same point in our journey.

There is probably no pragmatic solution and no action plan. It is all in the attitude. We will have solutions and plans when ten persons will give the same answer as regards the direction.