As soon as i opened ma mailbox... i get this video of a kid talking to the tiranga and wishing it a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!..Cute,I thought.So here inside the concrete enclosure of ma office i went back a few years -- infact quite a few years...a thought struck me.... vivid memory of something so similar to the video i saw:
Kids with flags on the shirt, saluting the fluttering tiranga and singing the national anthem,Years back i was among one of them.Still remember those days when independence day and republic days were more than mere holidays. Getting up early, getting dressed in the best white uniform, watching the start of the parade at the "RED FORT" before cycling away to school for the "REAL" flag hoisting...singing numerous patriotic songs and watching people speak about the country and the society at length,waiting in line for the sweets and choclates(yes!!they were the prized possesions for the day).Waiting for a chance to speak infront of the vast crowd about the independence(not to forget the week spent preparing the small paragraph !!). Thinking,saying and listening great about our country.!!!The feeling of being INDIANS made us proud!!...an event that made us proud of wot we ARE,WERE and WILL be INDIANS.Everything about india seemed to be great. Being Indian was Great(they call it COOL now!!).!!!
DING! a ping from the boss wakes me up from my day-dream and the sick reality stares me again. Some immediate pending work needs to be done( Why is it pending if its imp!???,nyway who cares!).But then, the thought caught me up and thinking. What was that all about? Nationalism?Innocence??PATRIOTISM!!!yes the word is patriotism....We were patriotic then!... were then!! If i remember well, the last time i was a part of a flag hoisting was 7 years bak in my school!! Seven Years!! most of us .....are in the same boat...at least an year here and there.!! I'm amazed with the schedule of our life since seven years.! We couldnt find a day out for our nation? A place to go out see and salute the flag twice a year?? (well, we do see them quite often @ cricket matches though).. Not normal is it?Have we forgot to be patriotic? i know there wil be an argument saying jus being there for a flag hoisting dosent make one patriotic.. But then,thats a mark of respect we show towards our nation.Or is it that we've become extremely busy in our life for PUBLIC DISPLAY OF PATRIOTISM -PDP. Gud heavens! PDP sounds good.! dosent it?? Now then, we are gud at PDA(public display of affection) and not at PDP....Is something wrong?
Whats that one word that gets in our mind when we say INDIA ?? dear oh dear!! there are one too many!! Infaltion, terror,corruption the count is endless!!. Day in and day out we complain about the leaders, crib about the infrastructure: anything and everything about it! When was the last time we felt proud,felt like on-top-of-the world for what we are??INDIANS...how many times have we stopped anyone from cribbing about the country?and how many times have we actually joined him/her?? MORE OFTEN THEN NOT! .... surprised?? so am I!!!!When was the last time we felt proud of what we have achieved as country...regardless of the flaws it had ??? When was the last time just accepted us as we are and felt proud of it? Makes you think.. and think long?? dosent it!! So, have we lost love for our Motherland?have we become Unpatriotic?
Wait now!! hang on!! NO, the Answer is NO!!! we can still see the sparks of patriotism.....discreetly but sure yes !... When india wins a sporting competition(mostly cricket though!), when we hear about an NRI being made a mayor in USA : we say! man he's made the country proud!. An occasion where an indian gets a world renowned award. The times when we see a nationalistic flick?? YES !! we do feel proud of INDIA and being INDIANS?? The spark is still alive!....Jus that its a little fuel to turn into a flame..!! we do hear and say thngs like "We still are far away from being perfect", "there's so much to do","I wish we were up there- ON TOP" . Yes, true too. We still are far ahead from being perfect . But as it was said in RDB .."Koi Desh Perfect Nahi Hota ....Use Perfect Banana Padta Hai..... Aur Use Perfect Banayenge Hum "...
So who's the one who'd bring up the change?? A Gandhi again?? A Subhash Chandra Bose, An Ashfaqullah Khan to come and change the fate of India again? Well Yes and No ...NO becuase we can wait no longer for them to come, and YES because every one of us evrey INDIAN are they somewhere deep within us.Just that we've not woken them up yet. Who were all those great Swatantrata Senani? some one like us!! .....Some one from this same country. The only difference being they believed in a cause and fought for it till their last breath..!
Its OUR TURN NOW !!!. Its upon us now to make up to the time lost. Lets believe in ourselves and work towards a better tomoroww, God willing the day aint too far!....we'r almost there ..!!! lets give it our best shot!!... chalo uper baithen un mahaan logon ko bataa dei kei :
"Boss log!! aap ki dii hui aazaadi abhi tak kaayam hai aur kaayam rahegi!! zyada tension lene ki zaroorat nahi hai!....yeh desh tarakki karega aur aapke armaanon se zyada karega!! aap bus dekhte raho!take a chil-pill !!!" LETS MAKE THEM PROUD!!
Oops!! meetin in 5 mins!! gotta get out of ma dream!!! A GUD ONE THOUGH!!! i saw a country with excellent moral values and greatest advancements .....The Best couuntry in the world!! INDIA!! felt amazing!!! cant wait to see it in reality....!!!! All we need to do is start makin a lil effort to make our share of contribution!.... We've that in us!!!
Awrite now! bak to work!!
thanx guys if u've read till the end!!....do ponder on and feel free to agree/diagree with me......
well finally !!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOTHER INDIA!!!!!
Love u loads!!!
- loving son
