The Moral Vision
Planting the Tree of the Nation
~ 58 ~
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 a case there
is no time to lose, plant it in the afternoon...”
Chartered
Account,
New
Delhi,
79.
(Supplement)
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 blossom and finds the
position of honour and glory that it merits in world
affairs. But to one who points who out that no one
can wait for a national policy to mature if it is going
to take a hundred years, the only answer is: “In that
case, we cannot afford to lose even a single
