Integrity – A Way of Life

Behind the clouds so high,
Beyond the twinkling stars in the sky;
There is a galaxy and I live there,
In a country that is fair and square.

This is a country where honesty thrives,
Where the law is supreme and virtue survives;
The people are honest to the core,
Guarding morality like a precious ore.

But how did this come about, one may marvel,
The answer is education which truth did unravel;
It taught people honesty and integrity were supreme,
That preventing corruption would bring the nation esteem.

So, citizens turned honest and authorities upright,
Public wealth was guarded with zealous might;
Integrity thus, was ingrained without an iota of strife,
Unforced, uncoerced but simply as a way of life.

People lived for their needs and not for greed,
Good character and righteousness were their creed;
The country was proud of its noble standing,
Coupled with a moral, ethical and principled branding.

Oh what a sweet little country I live in with elation,
Yes, one may scoff at the existence of such a nation;
But yes, it does exist……and it is our own sweet India,
A new India built on a dazzling dream, and not on the grand Utopia.

A dream that I dared to dream and carry,
Exhorted by Abdul kalam, the leader and visionary;
When will I wake up to this dream?
The dream of an Indian dawn of a moral stream?

The dream of an India where the system is clean,
and unfettered integrity reflects the sheen;
Institutions and organisations answering to probity,
And standing the test of any scrutiny.

Yes, the dream will materialise, with a consensus of shared values,
With wholesome integrity centred around positive virtues;
How I wish this tangible way of life with integrity,
Starts and flourishes from our own little lignite city.

Author - Kaza Raja, Neyveli