SWEET 60
Today, our country has turned 60 years old. I know, I know. A lot of you would say that we are more than many thousand years old but the fact is that we are a 60 year old independent nation and when I look back at how we have progressed and digressed as a nation, I get a feeling of mixed emotions. Nevertheless, I would start off by saying that I am a proud Indian and for me being free is not something I take for granted. Really, if you see what’s happening around you (dont have to look too far....Pakistan is a great example), you tend to feel lucky to be born in a country, which not only happens to be the largest democracy in the world but also has survived many a crisis and yet can set an example for the world to follow.
Many great writers have written a lot about what makes India so special (Infact, the latest book I read was India, inspite of the Gods by Edward Luce.. a must read) so I wont even attempt to write anything more but I just want to say that we must feel proud of what we have because what we have is something really special. The question is how we can contribute in little and big ways and make this the best place to live in…
For whatever its worth, I for one strongly feel that if we can start off with the below, we can make a difference:
- Lets start treating our country like our home and not spit, litter, urinate, fight and kill each other on the road with gay abandon.. And this is for the so called educated class.
- We can start looking at our fellow citizens as humans rather than as Muslims, Sikhs, Baniyas, Bengali, Punjabi etc.
- We can also try and shell out a few rupees every month from our salary and help educate an under privileged kid. Because nothing works better for a nation than having its citizens well educated.
- We can also stop whining about India being corrupt and stop bribing traffic policemen, MTNL Linesmen, MCD officials and other such important figures.
- The list can go on but let me sign off by saying that most importantly; we must exercise our right to vote. Because that small effort alone can bring about an educated, crime-less, coalition-less breed of politicians, which will give our nation the right kind of ammunition to become the best in the world.
JAI HIND
Labels: I love India, Independence Day, India, India turning 60
great post. improving things is not about waiting for others to do something. each one of us can make such a huge difference.
Posted by
Musings on India |
11:16 PM
proud of you for this post. i'd like to add to your list:
let's not be ashamed of our national language. let's begin by speaking in hindi, by being proud that we know the language, and let's learn more about teh language. let 'hindi' be matter of pride. Jai Hind!
Posted by
bhavna |
12:50 AM
yea sweetheart.. u are right. So this is for those who think speaking in hindi is so not cool. Learn to respect whats your own else you would be left with nothing at all.
Posted by
Ruch |
2:45 AM
I definitely feel we MUST not litter.All of us can also plant one tree each...i think that would go a long way.our country is definitely on its road to success..all it needs is aware and concerned citizens.
Happy Independence day.and i feel completely proud to be an Indian!!!
Jai Hind!
Posted by
ThinkingWanderer |
3:09 AM
it's always a pleasure to read a new entry at yr blog - i wish u'd write more frequently, tho.
i'm not really a patriot, at least not in the way it's defined.
i think it's a tool, an insidious tool, that's been used by the rich/powerful to hang on to power and its trappings.
no wonder the most corrupt in our country keep talking about patriotism.
and fools like me raise a jhanda or sing along to an ar rehman song, that's it.
if we really cared about his country, we'd ignore issues like language and work for the poorest of the poor.
we'd stop bullshitting about turning mumbai into the next singapore and do something for the dumb, voiceless masses - lower female infanticide rates, for example. (incidentally female infanticide is one of the highest in the country in south delhi, but that's another story...)
the only guy who makes sense for me these days is gandhi. and he didn't say a word on patriotism - he was too busy doing things.
of course, we've forgotten him these days, that is, us patriots in the cities.
thankfully, the poor and the dispossesed (in india and elsewhere) haven't, and they're using his tools of non-violence and mass mobilisation to overthrow us 'patriots'.
Posted by
Unknown |
8:31 AM
Hey Shubho,
I think what u have written is absolutely correct. All this talk of India becoming an economic super-power falls flat when u have farmers committing suicide every day, when people are killed over reliegon , when people do not even have access to basic health amenities..
But lets not lose hope...if we can collectively bring about a change and not become a part of this menace, I am sure things would look different
Posted by
Ruch |
5:49 AM
yawn.
Posted by
Manas |
1:46 AM