奥巴马在印度孟买天主教圣赛维尔学院英语演讲文本

《奥巴马在印度孟买天主教圣赛维尔学院英语演讲文本》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《奥巴马在印度孟买天主教圣赛维尔学院英语演讲文本（21页珍藏版）》请在装配图网上搜索。

1、The White House Office of the Press Secretary For Immediate Release November 07, 2010 Remarks by the President and the First Lady in Town Hall with Students in Mumbai, India St. Xavier College Mumbai, India 11:45 A.M. IST MRS. OBAMA: Hello, everyone. Namaste. It is a plea

2、sure and an honor to be here in India. Everyone, please sit, who can sit. Rest. It¡¯s warm. We are thrilled to be here and to have a chance to spend time with so many outstanding young people from St. Xavier¡¯s College and so many other schools across Mumbai. Now, this is my first trip

3、to India, but it is not my first exposure to India¡¯s wonderful culture and people. See, I grew up in Chicago, which is a city with one of the largest Indian-American communities in our country. And of course, last year, as you know, we were proud to host Prime Minister Singh and Mrs. Kaur for our

4、 very first state visit and dinner. It was a beautiful evening under a tent on the South Lawn of the White House, and we got to hear some pretty great Bhangra as well. I danced there, too. (Laughter.) So I have really been looking forward to this trip for a very long time. The time th

5、at we spend with young people during our travel is very special to both me and to the President. When I was your age, I never dreamed of traveling to countries like this and meeting with young people like all of you. In fact, there were a lot of things that I had never imagined for myself growing

6、up, including having the honor of serving as my county¡¯s First Lady. My family didn¡¯t have a lot of money. My parents never went to college. I grew up in a little bitty apartment in a working-class neighborhood on the south side of Chicago. My parents worked hard to pay the bills and t

7、o keep a roof over our heads. But even though my parents couldn't give us material things, they gave us something much more precious -- they gave me and my brother strong values. They taught us to treat others with dignity and respect. They taught us to push for excellence in every single thing w

8、e did. They taught us to be humble and to be grateful for everything we had. They taught us to put every last bit of effort into our education and to take pride in our work. They taught us that our circumstances didn¡¯t define us, and that if we believed in ourselves, if we made the most of every

9、 single opportunity, we could build our own destinies and accomplish anything we put our minds to. And I try every single day to take those lessons to heart. And the fact that all of you are here today tells me that we all share these same values, that we all learn these same lessons. You'

10、re here today because, like me and my husband, you believe in your dreams and you're working hard every single day to fulfill them. More importantly, you¡¯re here because you¡¯ve committed to something greater than yourselves. You're here not just because of your academic and extracurricular activ

11、ities and achievements, but because of what you¡¯ve done to give back to your schools and to your communities. Your willingness to serve is critical for all that lies ahead once you finish your education. Because the truth is pretty soon the responsibilities for building our future will fa

12、ll to all of you. Soon we're going to be looking to your generation to make the discoveries and build the industries that will shape our world for decades to come. We'll be looking to you to protect our planet. We're going to be looking to you to lift up our most vulnerable citizens. We'

13、re going to be looking to you to heal the divisions that too often keep us apart. And I believe that you and your peers around the world are more than up to the challenge, because I've seen it firsthand right here in India. Just yesterday I had the wonderful opportunity to visit an organiza

14、tion called Make A Difference. It¡¯s an amazing program designed and run by young adults who recruit other young people, outstanding college students like themselves, to mentor and teach children who, as the founder said, haven¡¯t had the same chances in life as many of the mentors have had.

15、 These young volunteers understand and believe in something very simple, that all children, regardless of their circumstances, deserve the same chance to get educated and to build productive and successful lives. And I know that many of you here today are doing equally important work in your comm

16、unities and your schools -- everything from holding camps for kids in need to teaching computer literacy skills, to finding new ways to conserve energy. And let me tell you, this work is amazing, and it is vitally important. And that is why, as First Lady, I have tried my best to engage you

17、ng people not just in the United States but around the world, letting them know that we believe in them, but more importantly, that we need them. We need you. We need you to help solve the great challenges of our time. And that's also why when my husband travels abroad, he doesn¡¯t just me

18、et with heads of state in parliaments and in palaces. He always meets with young people like all of you. That's why he¡¯s been working to expand educational exchanges and partnerships between the United States, India, and countries around the world. Right now, more Indian students like you com

19、e to study in the United States than from any other country. And I'm proud to see that so many American students are doing the same thing right here in India, building the types of friendships and relationships that will last a lifetime. Our hope is to provide more Indian and American young people

20、 with these types of opportunities to continue to connect and share ideas and experiences. And finally, my husband is also working to encourage young entrepreneurs everywhere to start businesses, to improve the health of our communities and to empower our young women and girls because it is never

21、 too late or too early to start changing this world for the better. So I want to end today by congratulating you all -- congratulating you on everything you do. We are so proud of you. I want to encourage you to keep dreams -- keep dreaming big huge, gigantic dreams -- not just for yourselv

22、es, but for your communities and for our world. And finally, I want to urge you today to ask my husband some tough questions, all right? (Laughter.) Be tough. He loves doing events like this. This brightens his days. But you got to keep him on his toes, all right? So if you promise

23、me that, without further ado, I would like to introduce my husband, the President of the United States, Barack Obama. (Applause.) THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, everybody. Thank you so much. Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you very much. Everybody, please have a seat. Have a seat. Namaste.

24、 AUDIENCE: Namaste. THE PRESIDENT: It is such a pleasure to be here. Now, I have to say, first of all, I don't like speaking after Michelle. (Laughter.) Because she¡¯s very good. Also because she teases me. You notice how she said for you to all ask tough questions. If you want

25、to ask easy questions, that's fine. (Laughter.) But on behalf of Michelle and me I want to thank St. Xavier¡¯s University. I want to thank Rector DeSouza. I want to thank Principal -- I want to get this right -- Mascarenhas. (Laughter.) But it¡¯s a little smoother than that, when you sa

26、y it. I want to thank Vice Principal Amonka and all of you for being such gracious hosts. And I know it¡¯s hot out here today. For you to be so patient with me, I¡¯m very grateful to you. I also want to thank the city of Mumbai and the people of India for giving us such an extraordinary w

27、elcome. In a few minutes, I¡¯ll take some questions. I come here not just to speak, but also to listen. I want to have a dialogue with you. And this is one of the wonderful things that I have a chance to do as President of the United States. When I travel, we always try to set up a town

28、hall meeting where we can interact with the next generation, because I want to hear from you. I want to find out what your dreams are, what your fears are, what your plans are for your country. But if you will indulge me, I also want to say a few words about why I¡¯m so hopeful about the p

29、artnership between our two countries and why I wanted to spend some of my time here in India speaking directly to young people like yourselves. Now, as Michelle said, we have both looked forward to this visit to India for quite some time. We have an extraordinary amount of respect for the r

30、ich and diverse civilization that has thrived here for thousands of years. We¡¯ve drawn strength from India¡¯s 20th century independence struggle, which helped inspire America¡¯s own civil rights movement. We¡¯ve marveled at India¡¯s growing economy and it¡¯s dynamic democracy. And we have person

31、ally enjoyed a wonderful friendship with Prime Minister Singh and Mrs. Kaur, over the last two years. But of course, I¡¯m not just here to visit. I¡¯m here because the partnership between India and the United States I believe has limitless potential to improve the lives of both Americans an

32、d Indians, just as it has the potential to be an anchor of security and prosperity and progress for Asia and for the world. The U.S.-India relationship will be indispensible in shaping the 21st century. And the reason why is simple: As two great powers and as the world¡¯s two largest democ

33、racies, the United States and India share common interests and common values -- values of self-determination and equality; values of tolerance and a belief in the dignity of every human being. Already on this trip, I¡¯ve seen those shared interests and values firsthand. We share a commitme

34、nt to see that the future belongs to hope, and not fear. And I was honored to stay at the Taj Hotel, the site of the 26/11 attacks, and yesterday, in meetings with some of the survivors, I saw firsthand the resilience of the Indian people in overcoming tragedy, just as I reaffirmed our close cooper

35、ation in combating terrorism and violent extremism in all of its forms. We also share struggles for justice and equality. I was humbled to visit Mani Bhavan, where Gandhi helped move India and the world through the strength and dignity of his leadership. We share a commitment to see tha

36、t this era after globalization leads to greater opportunity for all our people. And so yesterday, at a summit of business leaders and entrepreneurs, we discussed the potential for greater economic cooperation between our two countries -- cooperation that could create jobs and opportunity through in

37、creased trade and investment, unleashing the potential of individuals in both our countries. And even as we are countries that look to the future with optimism, Americans and Indians draw strength from tradition and from faith. This morning, Michelle and I enjoyed the chance to join young

38、people here in Mumbai to celebrate Diwali -- a holiday that is observed not just here in India but also in the United States, where millions of Indian-Americans have enriched our country. I have to point out, by the way, those of you who had a chance to see Michelle dance, she was moving. (Laughte

39、r.) And it was just an extraordinary gift for these young people to perform and share this wonderful tradition with us. Tomorrow in New Delhi, I¡¯ll have the opportunity to meet with Prime Minister Singh and many other leaders, and I¡¯ll have the privilege to address your parliament. And t

40、here I will discuss in greater detail our efforts to broaden and deepen our cooperation and make some specific announcements on important issues like counterterrorism and regional security, on clean energy and climate change, and on the advance of economic growth and development and democracy around

41、 the globe. Just as the sites I¡¯ve seen and the people I¡¯ve met here in Mumbai speak to our common humanity, the common thread that runs through the different issues that our countries cooperate on is my determination to take the partnership between our two countries to an entirely new lev

42、el. Because the United States does not just believe, as some people say, that India is a rising power; we believe that India has already risen. India is taking its rightful place in Asia and on the global stage. And we see India¡¯s emergence as good for the United States and good for the world.

43、 But India¡¯s future won¡¯t simply be determined by powerful CEOs and political leaders -- just as I know that the ties among our people aren¡¯t limited to contacts between our corporations and our governments. And that¡¯s why I wanted to speak to all of you today, because India¡¯s future wil

44、l be determined by you and by young people like you across this country. You are the future leaders. You are the future innovators and the future educators. You¡¯re the future entrepreneurs and the future elected officials. In this country of more than a billion people, more than half of a

45、ll Indians are under 30 years old. That¡¯s an extraordinary statistic and it¡¯s one that speaks to a great sense of possibility -- because in a democracy like India¡¯s -- or America¡¯s -- every single child holds within them the promise of greatness. And every child should have the opportunity to

46、achieve that greatness. Most of you are probably close to 20 years old. Just think how the world has changed in those 20 years. India¡¯s economy has grown at a breathtaking rate. Living standards have improved for hundreds of millions of people. Your democracy has weathered assassination and

47、terrorism. And meanwhile, around the globe, the Cold War is a distant memory and a new order has emerged, one that¡¯s reflected in the 20 members of the G20 that will come together in Seoul next week, as countries like India assume a greater role on the world stage. So now the future of thi

48、s country is in your hands. And before I take your questions, I want you to consider three questions I have for you -- questions about what the next 20 years will bring. First, what do you want India to look like in 20 years? Nobody else can answer this question but you. It¡¯s your destiny to wr

49、ite. One of the great blessings of living in a democracy is that you can always improve the democracy. As our Founding Fathers wrote in the United States, you can always forge a more perfect union. But if you look at India¡¯s last 20 years, it¡¯s hard not to see the future with optimism.

50、 You have the chance to lift another several hundreds of millions of people out of poverty, grow even more this enormous middle class that can fuel growth in this country and beyond. You have the chance to take on greater responsibilities on the global stage while playing a leading role in this hug

51、ely important part of the world. And together with the United States, you can also seize the opportunities afforded by our times: the clean energy technologies that can power our lives and save our planet; the chance to reach new frontiers in outer space; the research and development that c

52、an lead to new industry and a higher standard of living; the prospect of advancing the cause of peace and pluralism in our own countries but also beyond our borders. Which brings me to a second question. Twenty years from now, what kind of partnership do you want to have with America? Just

53、 before I came to speak to all of you today, I visited two expos right in another courtyard here that underscore the kind of progress we can make together. The first focused on agriculture and food security, and I was able to see innovations in technology and research, which are transforming Indian

54、 farming. A farmer showed me how he can receive crop information on his cell phone. Another showed me how tools appropriately sized and weighted for women are helping her and other female farmers increase their productivity. Many of these innovations are the result of public and private co

55、llaborations between the United States and India, the same collaboration that helped produce the first Green Revolution in the 1960s. And tomorrow, I will be discussing with Prime Minister Singh how we can advance the cooperation in the 21st century -- not only to benefit India, not only to

56、benefit the United States, but to benefit the world. India can become a model for countries around the world that are striving for food security. The second expo I toured focused on the ways that innovation is empowering Indian citizens to ensure that democracy delivers for them. So I hear

57、d directly from citizens in a village hundreds of miles away, through e-panchayat. I saw new technologies and approaches that allow citizens to get information, or to fight corruption, monitor elections, find out whether their elected official is actually going to work, holding government accountab

58、le. And while these innovations are uniquely India¡¯s, their lessons can be applied around the world. So earlier this year, at the U.N., I called for a new focus on open societies that support open government and highlighted their potential to strengthen the foundation of freedoms in our ow

59、n countries, while living up to the ideals that can light the world. And that's what India is starting do with some of this innovation. We must remember that in some places the future of democracy is still very much in question. Just to give you an example, there are elections that are being h

60、eld right now in Burma that will be anything but free and fair based on every report that we¡¯re seeing. And for too long the people of Burma have been denied the right to determine their own destiny. So even as we do not impose any system of government on other countries, we, especially y

61、oung people, must always speak out for those human rights that are universal, and the right of people everywhere to make their own decisions about how to shape their future, which will bring me to my final question, and then you guys can start sending questions my way. How do you -- how do e

62、ach of you want to make the world a better place? Keep in mind that this is your world to build, your century to shape. And you¡¯ve got a powerful example of those who went before you. Just as America had the words and deeds of our Founding Fathers to help chart a course towards freedom and justi

63、ce and opportunity, India has this incredible history to draw on, millennia of civilization, the examples of leaders like Gandhi and Nehru. As I stood in Mani Bhavan, I was reminded that Martin Luther King made his own pilgrimage to that site over 50 years ago. In fact, we saw the book tha

64、t he had signed. After he returned home, King said that he was struck by how Gandhi embodied in his life certain universal principles that are inherent in the moral structure of the universe, and these principles are as inescapable as the law of gravitation. You have that power within you.

65、 You, too, must embody those principles. For even within this time of great progress, there are great imperfections, the injustice of oppression, the grinding punishment of poverty, the scourge of violent extremism and war. King and Gandhi made it possible for all of us to be here today -- me as a

66、 President, you as a citizen of a country that's made remarkable progress. Now you have the opportunity and the responsibility to also make this plant a better place. And as you do, you¡¯ll have the friendship and partnership of the United States, because we are interested in advancing those same universal principles that are as inescapable as the law of gravitation. The lives that you lead will determine whether that opportunity is extended to more of the world¡¯s people -- so that a chi