Tuesday 12 August 2008

Indianness

With 15th August just a few days away ,and Abhinav having won The Gold , we Indians are rejoicing in our Indian-ness. Is patriotism all about showcasing and proving our worth in the international arena? Sure, these glorious moments fill us with pride with a vengeance. Especially ,when you get to watch dismal scenes like cash-for-votes, read sordid stories on papers and all else that is wrong in this country. These are the moments in which we redeem ourselves vicariously, in the eyes of the world.

But that is for the world to see.I went to my daughter's school today( she's in play school). I saw several tiny tots rehearsing for their Independence day celebrations. They were trying to synchronise their movements to the beats of " chodo kal ki baatein kalki baat purani", "suno gaur se duniya waalon ..." And ofcourse they had their distractions , relapsing into I-don't-want-to-do-it attitude ,but the entire scenario was very heartening. I found myself reposing faith in this country through them. I am sure, this will be a recurrent scene in most schools till the I-Day .

Lets teach them not just to match steps with songs. Lets teach them that I-Day is also about not littering the roads everyday. Lets teach them to be friends with all, even if you don't understand his language. Show them your pride in your country through all your actions, and not just by buying him a flag at the traffic signal for a day.

Happy Independence Day!!!!!!

2 comments:

  1. Yes!!Happy Independence day.I too am PROUD to be an Indian.Jai Hind.
    Cheers
    Preeti

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  2. It is tempting to measure greatness of a country by its success in a sporting event, or its military prowess, or its economic clout, or even its happiness index and I know on all those metrics we fall behind, may be way behind. But we are a country and a culture that has stood the test of the time. For centuries, we have taught the world to be tolerant and non-violent at a dire cost to ourselves. That by itself is a cause of celebration and at the same time deep introspection. Do we continue on this path of self righteousness, or do we embrace the pragmatism of geopolitics?

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Your words keep me going :)