Respect Beyond Ranks | Col Virendra Kumar Sahi VrC | TEDxGMC Doda

Key Concepts

• Population Dynamics: Daily birth and death rates in India and their implications for opportunity distribution.
• Historical Figures: Examples of influential individuals (Ramachandra, Sri Krishna, Buddha, Mahavira, Jesus Christ, Prophet Muhammad, Guru Nanak) and their lasting impact.
• Core Principles: Truth, sincerity of purpose, honesty, resilience, hard work, selflessness, and giving back to society as drivers of success and influence.
• "Jazba" (Spirit/Passion): The driving force behind achieving the seemingly impossible, characterized by endurance, will, and creating one's own path.
• Humanity and Dutifulness: The paramount importance of respect for others across professions and fulfilling one's duties.
• Soldierly Love/Professional Respect: The deep bond and mutual respect that should exist between individuals in any profession, exemplified by acts of compassion and duty.

Population Growth and Opportunity Disparity

The speaker begins by highlighting India's significant population growth, stating that approximately 66,000 Indians are born daily, while around 26,000 perish, resulting in a net addition of about 40,000 people to the national population each day. This rapid growth raises a critical question: can these 40,000 individuals, or indeed the entire population of 1.4 billion, ever receive the same treatment, opportunities, and possibilities? The speaker argues that this is an impossibility, illustrating the disparity with the example of a child born into an affluent family (like Tata's or Adani's) versus a child born to a domestic helper. Despite potentially similar ambitions, their opportunities are inherently unequal due to their circumstances.

Historical Figures and Their Enduring Influence

The transcript then shifts to examining individuals who have made a profound and lasting impact on humanity. The speaker cites several historical figures:

• Ramachandra G: Approximately 9,000 years ago.
• Sri Krishna: Approximately 5,000 years ago.
• Mahatma Buddha and Mahavira Gi (Jainism): Approximately 2,600 years ago.
• Christianity: Approximately 2,200-2,225 years ago.
• Hazrat Muhammad Sab: Approximately 1,500 years ago.
• Guru Nanak G (Sikhism): Approximately 5,500 years ago (note: this figure seems to be a misstatement in the transcript, as Sikhism originated around the 15th century CE, approximately 500-600 years ago).

The central question posed is why these individuals' names, reputations, influence, examples, characters, and "Kashma" (charisma/divine grace) have sustained from their eras to the present, while the vast majority of people born in the "flow of a river" are forgotten.

The Common Thread: Sacrifice and the Search for Truth

The speaker identifies a commonality among these influential figures: they did not live comfortable lives. Examples include:

• Ramachandra G: Born into royalty but lived in jungles.
• Sri Krishna: Born into a royal family but in jail, separated from parents, with cattle grazing as his initial occupation.
• Mahavira Gi and Gautam Buddha: Born into royal families but left those comforts to "experiment with truth."

The speaker emphasizes that it was not luxury, comfort, royal parentage, or "royal blue" blood that made them different. Instead, they "walked out" of their privileged circumstances in search of truth. This search and their subsequent discoveries are why they are remembered, followed, worshipped, and serve as examples globally.

Modern Examples and the "Jazba"

Moving to a more recent era, the speaker mentions:

• Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi: Modest beginnings, significant achievements.
• Subhas Chandra Bose: Modest beginnings, significant achievements.
• Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam: Modest beginnings, significant achievements.

A common trait identified in all these historical and modern figures, and crucially for the youth audience, is the "Jazba" – a spirit, passion, or drive. The speaker asserts that opportunities will never be the same for everyone, but one's "Jazba," spirit, goal, endurance, and will to do and excel must be the same. The path to achievement is forged through difficulties and perceived impossibilities; individuals create their own pathways, which then become followed by others.

Principles for Success and Societal Contribution

Beyond "Jazba," the speaker outlines several other common principles observed in these influential individuals:

• Truth: Adherence to truthfulness.
• Sincerity of Purpose: Having a clear and genuine aim.
• Honesty: Integrity in actions.
• Never to Give Up (Resilience): An unwavering spirit.
• No Cheating: Ethical conduct.
• No Accumulation/Self-Centered Attitudes: Working selflessly for society.

The speaker, drawing on his "little experience being young at 84," stresses that these individuals decided not to give up, not just in their endeavors but on the path of honesty, sincerity, selflessness, and avoiding self-centered grabbing. The core message is to "give back to the society for posterity." This involves sowing something into society, much like eating fruits from trees planted by others. The speaker explicitly states that these principles – truthfulness, honesty, sincerity, resilience, and hard work – are not out of fashion and remain as relevant today as they were millennia ago.

The Power of Oral Tradition and Human Connection

The transcript touches upon the enduring nature of knowledge, referencing the Vedas surviving and being followed without print material through the theory of "shruti" (hearing) and "smriti" (memory). This highlights the power of oral transmission and retention.

The speaker then shares two poignant personal anecdotes to illustrate the importance of humanity, dutifulness, and professional respect:

1. The Soldier's Letter: The speaker recounts finding a letter to his wife, along with other personal belongings of a deceased soldier, and having it read to him because he couldn't read Urdu. He witnessed the soldier's remains being carried away and saluted him, wishing they had met in a different context. This exemplifies "Jazba" and human respect.
2. The Soldier's Mother: Post-war, the speaker was tasked with returning the belongings of a fallen colleague to his family. He went to a village and met the soldier's mother, who had lost her eyesight. As he climbed the stairs with heavy ammunition boots, she embraced him, felt his face, and mistook him for her son. The speaker, deeply moved, could not bring himself to tell her he was not her son. This act of "soldierly love" and profound human connection is recommended for every profession.

Conclusion: Achieve the Unachievable

The speaker concludes by reiterating the core message: "achieve the unachievable because there is nothing unachievable." This is achieved by embodying the principles of truth, honesty, sincerity, resilience, hard work, and selfless contribution to society, driven by an unwavering "Jazba" and a deep sense of humanity and dutifulness.