Never Give In

- Winston Churchill

Never Give In' is an inspiring speech made by Winston Churchill, Great Britain's ex-Prime Minister and
famous orator, when he visited Harrow School on October 29,1941. In his speech he analyzed the world
situation and how other countries looked at Britain and then called on the British people not to give in.
He expressed his conviction that this nation was determined to fight for the victory of this great
[Link] he understands that the war is long and tough: it is not to end in months but in years. He
tells the people there that however long the war lasts, the final victory belongs to Britain. But at the
same time he makes it clear that not every day is an opportunity to take action: they have yet to wait
and persevere. The lesson learnt throughout the ten months was that when facing great difficulties, one
should never give in. With a combination of imagination and courage, British could overcome any kind of
difficulties and smash any attack of the enemy. When the British were in heavy attack by Germany,
many other nations thought that Britain was finished. As the country stood to their great ordeal
surprise, those nations changed their views."We stood all alone a year ago, and to many countries it
seemed that our account was closed, we were finished. All this tradition of ours, our songs, our School
history, this part of the history of this country, were gone and finished and liquidated".,

The speaker says that, discarding the judgements from the appearances, imagination makes things out
far worse than they are. At the same time he also emphasizes the importance of imagination because
without imagination not much can be done. According to him imaginative people imagine more dangers
that they exist and many more will happen. At the same time, such people who imagine must pray for
the extra courage to carry such far-reaching imagination. Here, Churchill's attitude towards the people
who are imaginative, is critical.

Churchill tries to persuade the listeners never to give in to the apparently overwhelming might of the
enemy, which is mainly a more defensive attitude. He takes one step further, that is, to convince the
listeners that it is high time that the British people persevere to conquer, suggesting a more ambitious
goal for the nation. As the speaker says, "Very different is the mood today. Britain, other nations
thought, had drawn a sponge across her slate. But instead our country stood in the gap. There was no
flinching and no thought of giving in; and by what seemed almost a miracle to those outside these
Islands, though we ourselves never doubted it, we now find ourselves in a position where I say that we
can be sure that we have only to persevere to conquer".

Churchill insist on replacing the word 'darker' with 'sterner' in the song. It is the song's line: "Not less we
praise in darker days", with the Head Master's permission, the speaker wished to alter darker to sterner.
"Not less we praise in sterner days". Churchill could venture this idea earlier because that was the worst
time for Britain. Britain was desperately alone, poorly armed and many other countries believed that
Britain would not be able to survive the war. It was not the right time to do so since pessimism was
prevailing among many people at that time. Churchill's intention behind changing the word 'darker' with
'sterner': he had a strong conviction of victory. The word darker carries a pessimistic tone, for it usually
indicates 'a period of unpleasant and frightening time' and implies hopelessness in a difficult period. But
the word 'sterner', though it has identical referent, suggests a time that is testing, but testing in a way
that offers the British the opportunity to display their courage to the full. It also suggests a tough and
challenging time which requires more courage and imagination.

Speech at LaL Bahadur Shastri Institute Of Management

-Narayan Murthy

Nagavara Ramarao Narayana Murthy was born and raised in Shidlaghatta, Karnataka. He graduated from
the National Institute of Engineering, Mysore. He is the founder of Infosys and he was chosen for the Lal
Bahadur Shastri Award for Public Administration and Management Sciences.

Narayana Murthy was given an invitation to speak at the institute and he decides to speak on the
important topic, which he had pondered for years- the role of Western valves in contemporary society.
This topic is very close to him, as valves drive progress and define quality of life in society. He says value
system is a protocol for behaviour that enhances the trust, confidence and commitment of members of
the community . We must put community interest ahead of our own. Thus, our collective survival and
progress is predicted on sound valves.

Narayan Murthy opines that there are two pillars of the cultural value system - loyalty to family and
loyalty to community. One should not be in isolation to the other, because, successful societies are
those which combine both harmoniously. It is in this context that Murthy discusses the role of Western
values in contemporary Indian society. As an Indian, he feels proud to be a part of a culture which has
deep-rooted family values. He further comments that we have tremendous loyalty to the family. For
example, parents make enormous sacrifices for their children. They support them until they can stand
on their own feet. On the other side, children consider it their duty to take care of aged parents

Speaking on the essence of Indian values, Narayan Murthy remarks that we believe: Mathru devo
bhava- mother is God, and Pithru devo bhava- father is God. Further, brothers and sisters sacrifice for
each other. In fact, the eldest brother or sister is respected by all the other siblings. As for marriage, it is
held to be a sacred union- husband and wife are bonded, most often, for life. In joint families, the entire
family works towards the welfare of the family. There is so much love and affection in our family life.
This is the essence of Indian values and one of our key strengths. Our families act as a critical support
mechanism for us. In fact, the credit to the success of Infosys goes, as much to the founders as to their
families, for supporting them through the tough times. Our attitude towards family life is not reflected in
our attitude towards community behaviour. From littering the streets to corruption to breaking of
contractual obligations, we are apathetic to the common good. In the West - the US, Canada, Europe,
Australia, New Zealand individuals understand that they have to be responsible towards their
community.
The primary difference between the West and us is that there, people have a much better societal
orientation. They care more for the society than we do. Further, they generally sacrifice more for the
society than us. Quality of life is enhanced because of this. This is where we need to learn from the
West.

As far as the western values are concerned, Narayan Murthy remarks that there is respect for the public
good in the West and much better societal orientation. For instance, parks free of litter, clean streets,
public toilets free of graffiti- all these are instances of care for the public good. On the contrary, in India,
we keep our houses clean and water our gardens everyday - but, when we go to a park, we do not think
twice before littering the place. Further Mr. Murthy continues that corruption, as we see in India, is
another example of putting the interest of oneself, and at best that of one's family, above that of the
society. Society is relatively corruption free in the west. For instance, it is very difficult to bribe a police
officer into avoiding a speeding ticket in the West. In the West, individuals understand that they have to
be responsible to their community. They care for their society and they sacrifice for it. Further, they
solve societal problems proactively. This is where we need to learn from the West.

Message To Women

-Dr.B.R. Ambedkar

'Message to Women ', is an motivational speech and throws light on the emancipation of women by
Dr.B.R. Ambedkar, who is one of the tallest intellectual -political leaders in the mainstream socio-
political discourse of modern India.

Dr. B.R. Ambedkar is very happy to have the occasion of addressing the gathering and says it's a greater
happiness for anyone interested in the advancement of the depressed classes to witness this gathering
of women in a vast number- almost 20,000 to 25, 000, which was unthinkable ten years ago. He further
says that, he is a greater believer in women's organization and know what can women do to improve the
condition of the society, if they are convinced. In the eradication of social evils they have rendered great
services. He testifies this from his own experience. Ever since he began to work among the Depressed
Classes, he made it a priority to carry women along with men. That is why they could see that their
conferences were always mixed conferences. Ambedkar measure the progress of a community by the
degree of progress which women have achieved, and when he sees this assembly, he feels both
convinced and happy that they have progressed. Further, Ambedkar gives few advice which he think
they should bear in mind.

He says ,Learn to be clean; keep free from all vices and to give education to their children. Instill
ambition in them. Inculcate in their minds that they are destined to be great. Remove from them all
inferiority complexes. Don't be in a hurry to marry: marriage is a liability. They should not impose it
upon their children unless financially they are able to meet the liabilities arising from marriage. Those
who will marry will bear in mind that to have too many children is a crime. The parental duty lies in
giving each child a better start than its parents had. Above all, let each girl who marries stand up to her
husband, claim to be her husband's friend and equal and refuse to be his slave . He claims that he is sure
that ,if these advices are followed, it will bring honour and glory to themselves and to the depressed
class.