Youths need to feel proud as Indians, Maj. Gen. Mahapatra says

ALLAHABAD: Our youths can change the country, but first they need to feel proud as Indians, said Major General (Retd) Basant Kumar Mahapatra. He was delivering a lecture of transcending the obvious: explorations of contemporary India at the Institute of Professional Studies, Allahabad University, on Monday.
A veteran of all the major wars India has fought including 1962 China war and 1965 and 1972 wars with Pakistan, Maj Gen Mahapatra also emphasized upon the qualities students need to develop if they want to thrive in this competitive world.
“The 21st century belongs to India and China and we Indians have maximum to contribute. Today 60% of the innovations done in Silicon Valley are by Indians. NASA is flooded with Indians. So, undoubtedly we have the best brains. But we must also have the right attitude and temperament”, he said. Confidence, compassion and a willingness for life-long-learning are the keys. But then at the same time we need to enjoy our work. We need to do everything happily with a smile to get most productive results,” he said while addressing the media students.
Later, urging the young students to take inspiration from the life of United States of America’s 16th President, Abraham Lincoln, he also averred that one should not be afraid of failures. “In your life journey you are bound to fail a thousand times, even Abraham Lincoln did, but the only reason we remember him and not many others is because he never gave up. If you want to be as great as him, follow his foot steps.”
Maj Gen Mahapatra is also the executive counsellor of University of Allahabad, trustee and chairman Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan, Bhubneshwar and a senior office bearer of DAV group of colleges in Orissa.