Does God Exist- A Speech

A very good morning to one and all present here. Before I introduce you to my topic, let me just deviate a bit to ask you all something: how many of you went to a temple to pray in the morning? If not a temple, you at least prayed a bit, to the lord, or to the deity you consider holy and sacred, didn’t you? Considering the jitters going down my back, I’m sure you did.

Does that prayer, or the visit ensure that your speech goes without a single glitch? Matter of fact, I prayed as well, and to be frank, I’ve skipped a couple of lines already. So is my deity weaker than yours? Or am I not important to God? Wait a second, is someone really up there listening to all we say?

This controversial and highly opinionated topic is what I am here to speak about: Does God exist?

There is Jesus in Christianity, Buddha for the Buddhists, Prophet Mohammed for the Muslims, and then after all of them stands an army of Gods; yes, I speak as a Hindu.

This topic is so controversial that it has been made into various movies; has been discussed at length in television debates, and has also occupied the first page of our newspapers.

It is said that we are God’s children, and he is the reason behind us walking the earth as superior beings. Let me ask you something, which parent wants his or her child to suffer? Which parent wants their child to roast in the heat without shelter, without food and water? Without a smile? None, that is all I can say.

When we look around our surroundings, all we can see is the pollution and the poverty and the crime. There is such a high magnitude of suffering and anguish in the lives of some people, while there are others who are laden with luxuries. Why the discrimination? Parents don’t discriminate between their kids, do they? All they want for their children is the best, and if that holds true, then why is our world in such a bad state?

Moving on, let me narrate to you an incident which happened with me and my friends some months prior on a trip to Haridwar. The name of the city means God’s gate, and it is aptly named because of the innumerable temples lining the Ganges, which passes right through the city.

In this holy city, overflowing with sacredness, and gods, and their idols, and also god men, we were literally cheated to a combined sum of around rupees 1000. Thankfully, we managed to escape with our pockets only considerably lighter, but I swear that if we had done exactly what the god men said, we would have ended up coming home stark naked with all our stuff donated in some or the other God’s name. Pundits, not really. For me, the city    changed from a devotional hub to a deception hub within minutes, seeing the fake artists’ smooth ways, and the blind devotees. Would god allow a tumor like this one to grow to such an extent? To allow such vermin to loot the world so openly? No he wouldn’t.

So am I just being an atheist? Is there not even a single dot of evidence to support the claim that God does exist in this world? Talking on personal experiences, I must say that He is the ray of hope, a shining ball in the distance, procuring us the strength and the will to go on. He may be a figment of our imagination, but he stands firm, come whatever may. His face is covered with a design made by our mind, just for us to see and remember in times of doubt. A creator, a leader, a supporter- He is there.

I have at times come up against walls, and they have suddenly broken down to pave the paths into the future, and that is evidence enough for me to conclude that there is someone, a force, which leads and controls, and helps. He may not be exactly the person he is portrayed to be, and he surely doesn’t have so many faces, but he is there.

I would like to conclude with a small bit of poetry.

Even though I don’t believe in him,

I feel he’s there somewhere,

Waiting for me, protecting me,

Wishing well for me,

Doing all the good in my life,

And that makes me feel happy,

I don’t blame him for the wrong,

‘Cause those were my deeds,

The times I did not listen to him,

But he made me learn,

Just for me to not make those mistakes again.

Thank you.

The Ingredients to Success in Life

Good morning to one and all present here. The topic I’m going to be speaking about is one which philosophers and idealists speak and debate about: ‘The Ingredients for Success in Life’.

Life has always been considered to be the biggest mystery to the human race. But even then, people keep toiling hard to achieve their biggest desires. This point in life is sometimes termed to be the point when a person is said to be ‘Successful’. People keep searching for the shortest way to reach this pinnacle in life, but as said by all of our elders and everyone who has some experience in life says,” The shortest way to success in life is to never take a visible shortcut. The right way is to go around these shorter paths and to follow the longest path.”

I’m sure that all of respected teachers and dear friends would have been to the kitchen and at least prepared a cup of tea in their entire life. I would like to ask each and everyone present here to list down the recipe to make that cup of tea, down to the smallest detail. I am sure this would turn out to be a very complicated task as there has to be the usage of the right proportions of all the ingredients.

Similar to the preparation of tea, the preparation of success involves a lot of ingredients. These ingredients are independent of the fact that the definition of success changes. In general, it can be said that success usually involves a person reaching to a high post or having a good job, a well settled family, and a life equipped with all of the luxuries.

To achieve this endeavor, there are a lot of constituents involved. The first of the long list we will be addressing is one which we are all extremely familiar with- education. 

Education has become one of the most necessary factors to leading a successful life. As time passes and life moves forward, people come to realize the fact that the current world is plugged with an extraordinary amount of competition.

It has come to light that the human race is competing within itself to achieve their goals. So, as of now, the results and outcomes are all based on the basis of hard work. This has taken place due to the fact that all of the other factors have been equaled to create the best opportunity for competition. This deed has managed to do what humankind has not been able to achieve within themselves for so many years-equality.

The gap between the poor and the rich has been bridged at least in the field of education. Now students from not so good backgrounds tend to excel at a higher rate in studies and there are examples of such students getting worldwide recognition; and all because of their hard work and perspiration.

This is also one of the key elements in the race to achieve success. The urge to learn more and the desire to excel have to be visible in a person. This helps a person to remain focused towards their sole aim and works to make them strive harder to achieve their endeavor.

A positive outlook for life is the next component we will be talking about. It has been proven that a positive outlook can work miracles in life. One of the real life examples we can talk about is Stephen Hawkins, who has cerebral palsy, but is a very well-known research scientist. He has not the ability to speak, but his research is world-renowned. And it has been possible only due to him having a positive outlook in life.

Having a positive outlook helps a person to obtain what makes a person happy. And, the happiness from the activities done works to give a push and also helps in exerting the self to work harder…to strive more… and to gain more from life.

But the main thing in my opinion is to aim for excellence. The aim should not be just to gain a certain degree or job; it should involve the development of skills on the basis of life as a whole. The aim should not be to run behind what every lay man does; it should be to do what produces the most amount of happiness. For the self.

When all of these are mixed with each other in the perfect proportions, the dish received can be termed as being success. I am a great follower of these principles, and to add a personal note, these guidelines help to achieve what is known to all as success.

My Country, My Pride

Good morning to one and all present here. I feel extremely honored to welcome this whole throng today. Dear students and respected teachers, please put your hands together for the troupe from Cambridge University.

Atithi Devo Bhava- the guest is God. This Sanskrit verse from the Hindu scripture has become part of the code of conduct for not only the Hindu society but for the whole Indian nation. The Ministry of Tourism recently endorsed this verse in their campaign to improve the treatment of tourists in our nation. We hope we adhere to this tradition and offer you intense care and make your visit in our country memorable.

Our country is home to one of the oldest civilizations of the world- the Indus Valley civilization. As time has passed, India has grown with the world and has kept up pace with the major nations all around the world. But, what keeps us at a different level from the world is our diverse culture.

Supporting a population of 1.2 billion people, India is one of the most populated nations. Comprising of 28 states and 7 union territories, our nation has several, and by that I mean a huge amount, languages which are used on a day-to-day basis in petty conversation by people. But, I would say that even though this nation is divided into around thirty parts, the people always stand united; be it for the fight for independence or be it against the black evils of corruption and terrorism.

The religious hub not only for Hindus, our nation is home to almost all of the religions in the world. Four of the major religions have originated in this country- Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Buddhism- and the other religions of Christianity, Islam and Zoroastrianism made their way into this nation soon after that. This is the only nation in the world, where every human has several Gods in which he believes from the bottom of his heart.

India has not been at all backward in the regions of the arts. Carnatic and Hindustani music are the major streams of music which evolved in India and are now practiced by renowned musicians all around the world. But this is only the music side. Frescos and other visual art forms have also been omnipresent in our country since historical times. Rock temples and unique sculptures have been excavated and uncovered at each and every place in this country. Bharatnatyam, Kathak and other extraordinary dance forms have also progressed to rule the dance world globally. There are troupes like yours which are attracted to these vivid arts and they approach our nation to get knowledge of these unique dances.

As I move on to the scientific history of this nation, I can proudly say that Aryabhatta, a fellow countryman was the brain behind the zero. In the current labour market, it is statistically confirmed that India is successful in producing the best engineers. Also, medical treatment in India is world renowned and people from high and low visit our country to get treated from varied ailments.

Last but not the least; the Indian economy is one of the countries which recovered from the global recession some years ago. A nation developing at a rate faster than many nations, India manages to employ a major part of its population rather than be faced with unemployment issues. A major hub for the software industry, India earns in earnest.

Unity, harmony and peace. These words signify what is important for each and every Indian. We live for our country. We care for our guests and treat them like God. We are present at every stage in the production process, from agriculture to the services industry. We try to be happy and to keep others happy and that is evident as we have one of the largest tourism sectors all around the world.

I hope you all enjoy your stay in our diverse nation, and feel our treatment satisfactory. Thank you.