Impartiality: The Secret of Success

conscience. To brighten a dark house or shop it requires light. In the same way, to carry out any real and profitable good work in the community or nation, the first requirement is to make the individuals of the community conscientious. The ability to think and understand has to be fostered. Without the light of conscience in the individual, no work of any value can be done. Planting the Tree of the Nation The former U.S President, John F. Kennedy, referring to Lyautey, once remarked: “I once asked my gardener to plant a tree. The gardener objected that the tree was slow growing and would not reach maturity for a hundred years. I replied, ‘In that case there is no time to lose, plant it in the afternoon.’” (Chartered Accountant Supplement, New Delhi, 1979) The growth and development of a nation is likewise a lengthy affair, and there has to be a tremendous input at both the individual and national levels before it finally bursts into bloom and finds the position of honour and glory that it merits in world affairs. But whenever any such proposition is put to the people, they are quick to point out that no one can wait for a national policy to mature if it is going to take a hundred years. The only answer to this is: "In that case, we cannot afford to lose even a single moment. We must plant our 'tree' this very minute." If it takes a mighty tree one hundred years to reach its full stature, whoever wishes to possess such a tree has no option but to tend it for that period. If, instead of nurturing it with care and skill, people come out on to the streets and launch a strike campaign in the name of trees, or gather in some open