An address by Prof. Thakur on the occasion of 12th anniversary of Yemen TimesTradition of Excellence is to continue [Archives:2003/628/Education]

Prof. Damodar Thakur
Ladies and Gentlemen! On this auspicious occasion of the Foundation Day of Yemen Times, I would like to congratulate all the members its staff for the excellent work that they have been doing, constantly augmenting the standards of both the content and the presentation of the items published in that paper and presenting thereby a good model of the way in which a newspaper in a developing country can acquit itself. When my friend and colleague, Dr Abdulaziz Al-Saqqaf decided to start this paper a little more than a decade ago, some of his friends and supporters thought that he was getting crazy. He had only limited physical resources at that tome but had, nevertheless, the passion for an endless perfection in his job. He had the determination and the tenacity of a visionary. He had in him a fire that could not be extinguished by discouraging remarks. He had initial hurdles but those hurdles only enlivened his on-going spirit. No stream can ever have the music that it has unless it faces obstacles on its way. Dr Saqqaf was like a stream. The hurdles on his way only gave him the delight of a winner. He was a dreamer who dreamt not of fantasies and non-achievable goals but of a highly organized and neatly structured plan of action. He was a graduate of the English Department in the Faculty of Arts, University of Sana'a, but later did his post-graduate course and his Ph. D. research in economics in one of the best universities in the Unites States. He had, however, a rich and powerful instinct for journalism and it was because of his strong instinct supported by his strong determination that made Yemen Times one of the best newspapers in the Arab world. He is not among us any more but his ideals in life would, I am sure, keep the managing staff of Yemen Times constantly inspired.
When Dr Abdulaziz Al-Saqqaf died, most of his friends and admirers thought that Yemen Times would be abandoned and remain in people's memory only as a part of the history of journalism in Yemen. But Walid, a very worthy son of a very worthy father, accepted the challenge posed by the sudden death of his father and not only ensured the continuity of Yemen Times but also took upon himself the challenging task of constantly augmenting its quality. There are people in this world who turn out to be smaller than the challenges that they have to face. Such people get crushed under the heavy weight of their responsibility. There are others who accept the challenge of their situation with all the vigour and energy that it requires and they ensure a happy continuity of the venture initiate by their predecessors. The third and best category of people include those who prove themselves more than equal to the challenges posed by their situation and go on elevating and enhancing the quality of the work they inherit. I am sure, you would all agree, ladies and gentlemen, that Walid has proved himself to be a person of this third and best category.
I was closely connected with the family when Dr Abdulaziz Al-Saqqaf was alive. I found in him a good friend and an enthusiastic supporter. Aziza, Walid's mother, was my student and that brought me emotionally close to the family. Walid was a small boy at that time. And now that both Dr Saqqaf and Aziza are gone, I feel myself sentimentally closer to the family than before because I find in Walid the image of his dynamic father and also the image of his blessed mother. On this occasion of the foundation day I wish you, Walid, the best in life. May God shower all His choicest blessings on you and may your dynamic qualities radiate hope, inspiration and strength to journalists in the Arab world. The path of progress is never smooth. There is a verse in Sanskrit which says that the journey towards perfection is like walking on the edge of a sharp razor. May God give you the energy and the ingenuity to go on this edge of a razor unhurt and unhindered. Perfection is not a point but a direction and the journey towards perfection is, therefore, an endless journey. Everyone in every field of life wants to go ahead. Becoming is the very essence of being. Blessed are those, therefore, who can move forward with the best possible speed. We must not forget that in the competition of life, real achievement lies not in doing better than others but in doing as well as we can. Everyone is his own competitor. Everyone of us has an infinite source of inner strength and vitality. The more we activate the inner strength in us, the more we realize our hidden potential, the greater we are as winners. May you have, Walid, the tenacity and perseverance of Abraham Lincon, the cosmopolitanism of Gandhi, the wisdom of Diogenes, the emotive strength and refinement of Khalil Gibran and the blessings of all the elders in Yemen. The spirit of your father and your mother is giving you a call, Walid, a call to be a super-doer, a super-achiever, and a super-winner. Listen to that call in the air and acquit yourself accordingly. May God bless you!
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