Being Indian in 2011
15th August - Our Independence Day. Years of struggle finally bore fruit in 1947 and we were proud that we had earned our freedom. As we remember the sacrifices of our forefathers and salute the valiant for their struggle, we must also not forget the struggle of those living in free India. I am not talking of those who saw wars nor of those who fought society to establish themselves. I am talking of every, you and me, who stays in the country and struggles everyday, with the hope of a better tomorrow.
- Our nation stands on the brink of history. The struggle for a stronger Lokpal Bill, will resume again. The ruling party refuses to let the PM be open to questioning. A call for greater transparency in the country's affairs has been thwarted since 1972 and will be neglected every time. People from all walks of life have supported the passing of a strong Bill. Once passed, the Law will prove to everybody that in free India, every individual is accountable. The common man, however, struggles to believe that a corrupt politician can be brought to justice.
- A cricket crazy nation celebrated the joy of winning the World Cup with the enthusiasm as though the team had touched the surface of Mars and come back. In a few months, the 120 crore population finds to difficult to digest a series defeat in Test matches. Our Heroes have turned into 'Zeroes' in a matter of 12 cricketing days. We struggle to understand what makes cricketers lose matches, when they should be winning and making India proud.
- Being United against divisive factors like states, religion, language and castes is being Indian. Too much prominence is given to where in the country do we come from, what language do we speak at home and above all what caste do we belong too? 15 year olds are taught a tough lesson every year, when seats are allotted by preference of caste and not by merit. This is what our future generations struggle to understand.
Farmers struggle to know where the government agricultural schemes are, athletes struggle to gain from the money reserved for sports infrastructure, I, for one, struggle to understand the rationale behind parking in 'NO PARKING ' zones. We are indeed, a country ruled by chaos and confusion.
However, one thing is for sure. We are very hopeful. We sincerely hope that someday there will be stronger Lokpal. We also hope that the cricket team will return to its winning ways. Irrespective of whether there are schools in villages or not, our own son/daughter will get a seat in a reputed college. Thereafter, we hope that the job prospects are also bright. We also hope that the government schemes for farmers are implemented well and we get a bumper harvest every year and the prices of dals do not pinch our pockets. We hope to win all Gold medals in Olympics someday. And above all, we hope that the traffic 'havaldar' who is about to issue a ticket, understands why we park right under the 'No Parking' signs.
Amongst all our struggles, what are we doing? We are living in our micro families, littering on our way to work, being perfectly impolite to every stranger we meet, barking at our juniors and blindly listening to our seniors, discussing the apathy of governance during lunch and coffee breaks, complain about rising prices of fuel and return home to watch TV.
On our 64th Independence Day we could decide to change a few things that we do. How about an Independence Day resolution for the betterment of our country. If a Dhoni can win a World Cup, Hazare can awaken a sleeping Bill and Gandhi can win Independence for a country, imagine the difference 120 crore Indians can make!!!!!
Happy Independence Day!
Vande Mataram!
P. S.
Please post your I-Day resolution in the comments section. Thanks!
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