“Baharein jaha aa k deti thi sadaein,
Haseen pankhudion ki who mausam adaein.
Jiske seene main the ILM ka khajana,
Sone ki chidiya jise kehta tha jamana..!!”
Haseen pankhudion ki who mausam adaein.
Jiske seene main the ILM ka khajana,
Sone ki chidiya jise kehta tha jamana..!!”
15th August or 26th January has become just an official holiday in the calendar of our nation. These two days inspires us to patriotic fervor that other few days in the year are able to generate. This is the day when every ‘galli, nukkad and mohalla’ chimes to ‘Bharat Mata’, children dressed in saffron, white and green, with paper flags held firmly in hand walk to their school functions, the revered ‘Jana Gana Mana’ is sung. Bhagat Singh and Gandhiji feature on TV screens and newspapers are full of tricolor ink. How else one could celebrate these special days, right? Sixty two years have gone by and India’s Independence story is still a fascinating tale. We are proud of the way we fought for freedom. The constitution makers deemed India a democracy and a secular socialist republic which we are proud to be even today. Or are we?
Look into the streets and you will see parallels that one cannot even comprehend. In the name of constitution equality, we have huge malls opposite huge slums. We have some women walking with huge heels, displaying branded shopping bags and Revlon lipstick while others cannot even afford clothing and they stare at huge AC buildings. India’s stead fast progress in the fields of science and technology has led to industrialization and capital formation yet the pathetic and panic stricken facet of India cannot be ignored. They say,” A good cover doesn’t really ensure a good book”. The truth is we have made a grand cover for our nation but we couldn’t design the content of the book.
Years back when we decided we are free, we chose a democratic system because it had the power to bring about change. Change we surely have brought about, but it has been one, concentrated in small pockets. It’s true that we seldom accept, but we are still a nation of people who don’t know where we are heading. Our problems are ever lasting and each Indian has learnt to put up with it. We don’t mind skipping a signal, paying Rs 100 bribe, jumping queues in the hostel mess; we don’t mind being sophisticated in another country and being careless and insensitive in our own. Neither we mind in just denying a junior child to issue her the book just because a senior student has told to keep the book reserve for him in the library (doesn’t matter this bloody senior turns backs or not). The same Indian, who will never dream of dropping a piece of paper on the streets of London, does not think twice before lowering the window of his Tata Indica and spitting on Gandhi Setu.
A part of the problem is the people we elected to the parliament. For long the typical Indian Politicians has been above 60 years of age – and is usually a ‘paan’ munching, ‘dhoti ‘wearing man, with no idea whatsoever of his responsibilities except to do his bit for securing the future of his generation. A look at their educational qualification and you figure out why we don’t promote education at all. Why should we, when we choose almost illiterate idiots as leaders. Why then we should educate our kids when we don’t mind electing a man with no inclination whatsoever to bring about a change.
Years back when we decided we are free, we chose a democratic system because it had the power to bring about change. Change we surely have brought about, but it has been one, concentrated in small pockets. It’s true that we seldom accept, but we are still a nation of people who don’t know where we are heading. Our problems are ever lasting and each Indian has learnt to put up with it. We don’t mind skipping a signal, paying Rs 100 bribe, jumping queues in the hostel mess; we don’t mind being sophisticated in another country and being careless and insensitive in our own. Neither we mind in just denying a junior child to issue her the book just because a senior student has told to keep the book reserve for him in the library (doesn’t matter this bloody senior turns backs or not). The same Indian, who will never dream of dropping a piece of paper on the streets of London, does not think twice before lowering the window of his Tata Indica and spitting on Gandhi Setu.
A part of the problem is the people we elected to the parliament. For long the typical Indian Politicians has been above 60 years of age – and is usually a ‘paan’ munching, ‘dhoti ‘wearing man, with no idea whatsoever of his responsibilities except to do his bit for securing the future of his generation. A look at their educational qualification and you figure out why we don’t promote education at all. Why should we, when we choose almost illiterate idiots as leaders. Why then we should educate our kids when we don’t mind electing a man with no inclination whatsoever to bring about a change.
We are the fools that we elect a winner out of a dog race who is supposed to plan for next five years. Don’t they have the vision to look beyond the basics? May be Independence Day and Republic day should be about more than buying paper flags and watching movies with the fairer sex. Can we, as citizens of free India, do a little more? Why settle for whatever we are given? Why not resolve to make this country a harmonious place to live? Why don’t WE be the change that we want to see?
It’s a truism that a lot more has to be done to make India a country of our dreams. And the onus is on us to gentrify our motherland in all the aspects we can think of, not that we will shirk our duties anyway. It’s time we pulled up our socks and grasped the nettle to seek the covetable results. Politicians may go to blazes, figuratively at least, for they are not whiter than white as they claim. Again it’s time we stopped sweeping the challenges under the carpet and stopped leaving the country at the mercy of those lame ducks. Come, उठो, जागो और अपने लक्ष्य तक पहुँचने से पहले रुको मत ।
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