Someone once said, ‘One day, it would be hard to believe that a man of Mahatam’s stature and nature walked this ground. And then he would be a god’.
Kashmir. Bhopal. Mumbai. Manipur. Naxals,Dirty Cops. Dirtier Politicians.
I am a patriot. I love my country. I am proud that my grandfather was one amongst the thousands who sacrificed a good part of their lives to gain this freedom. But I am inclined to think today, there is something wrong with us.
Look around. We have issues with Pakistan, China, Srilanka, Bangaladesh, Nepal. That’s our neighbors. When you think of it, we are not in good terms with any of our neighbors. If I am not in good terms with any of my neighbors, then definitely I am doing something wrong. When I sit down to watch news every night, this feeling deepens.
The only thing that I thought was strong in our country was the judicial system. Latest can of worms makes you think otherwise. Everyone seems to be on the wrong side. Or is it that I have missed the plot somewhere?
In China, a large section of people believe that India is a not a country but a conglomeration of countries. They strongly believe in liberating a few as well. If we run down the lane a little, it sounds bang on. 63 years back, some of our leaders worked hard on making this one country. Today, sadly, we have not been able to sustain.
We are being encroached with ease around the borders. I used to wonder why this was so simple. They were claiming and we were complying. The reason, I think is because, ‘India’ is not one thought. It’s a different thought for a person from Mumbai to one in Chennai. It means a lot different when a Kashmiri says India, and when you go into the villages of the ‘red corridor’ it takes a different meaning all together.
Years back, one old man was able to make us all think in one direction, bring us all together. We followed him, and he led us to freedom. No matter what language, color or religion, when he said India, it only meant one thing – our country.
Maybe he was different.
Maybe he was gifted.
Maybe he was God.
The decline of the judicial system is truly disapponting.
ReplyDeleteTo add to all the squabbles with our neighbours and the internal strife, there's the comfortably numb feeling that you mentioned in your previous post, that has seeped into us lulling us into accepting the status quo. As long as that feeling exists, the possibility of a Mahatma emerging from our midst is remote.
As you rightly said, the idea of India has become truly fragmented..so much so that most of us may have diffculty in identifying where exactly on the map of India the state of Manipur exists.
I'm sorry, and no offense to anyone, but I am not overly patriotic and hence do not have any great expectations from our politicians, judicial system and so on. It is a very debatable topic, and I have learnt over the years that it is easier just to go on with your life and be the best example of an Indian you can be. That's the most I can say about this topic. - Anna.
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