Independence Day
It was 12 30 in the nite, I was waiting for my train, which was running 3 hours late, at Tatanagar junction and suddenly the P.A system burst out with the tunes of "Ae mere wataan ke logon". It took a while to register what was going on, and then I realised amidst the high-speed life that we live in, I had even forgotten it was Independence Day.
Our generation never saw what it was to be under the foreign rule, neither have we felt the immediate after effects of their demise, and our emergence as an independent, sovereign, democratic nation. We take these things for granted. So what does Independence Day mean to us? (Except for a holiday which was even better this year being part of an extended weekend?) I would say a few moments of patriotism, when we see our armed forces showing their might in the parade at red fort (if we are not busy sleeping/ enjoying the holiday), a few articles in the newspaper, a few questionnaires, a couple of news bulletins, that’s it FULL STOP.
Why have we become so selfish, so self-indulgent that after those few moments (if any) our thoughts wander back focused on self centered issues? Why in India we quote Kennedy "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what can you do for your country" only in debates and elocutions, is the onus of making his country great only an American prerogative?
Despite the apathy shown by an average Indian towards government, governance, judiciary, the whole system, despite the shackles of corruption and compulsions, our country is rising and shining and for the first time in the modern era the world is taking notice. I had read this quotation or something similar written on one of my seniors door "What we can achieve is limitless, Sky is just an excuse" so true it is to the present situation, but how? Is it not high time for us to start contributing not only economically, but socially too? At an age of 22 I have a very nice excuse – I still haven’t seen enough of the world, I’m just out of grad school - I may be right, I might be wrong, but one thing I know, I may be short on ideas but not on intent. I’m sure that opportunities will be aplenty, not exclusively for me but for everyone, its entirely upto us what we decide to do with that chance.
As the architect rightly puts in the MATRIX, the choice is yours.
Our generation never saw what it was to be under the foreign rule, neither have we felt the immediate after effects of their demise, and our emergence as an independent, sovereign, democratic nation. We take these things for granted. So what does Independence Day mean to us? (Except for a holiday which was even better this year being part of an extended weekend?) I would say a few moments of patriotism, when we see our armed forces showing their might in the parade at red fort (if we are not busy sleeping/ enjoying the holiday), a few articles in the newspaper, a few questionnaires, a couple of news bulletins, that’s it FULL STOP.
Why have we become so selfish, so self-indulgent that after those few moments (if any) our thoughts wander back focused on self centered issues? Why in India we quote Kennedy "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what can you do for your country" only in debates and elocutions, is the onus of making his country great only an American prerogative?
Despite the apathy shown by an average Indian towards government, governance, judiciary, the whole system, despite the shackles of corruption and compulsions, our country is rising and shining and for the first time in the modern era the world is taking notice. I had read this quotation or something similar written on one of my seniors door "What we can achieve is limitless, Sky is just an excuse" so true it is to the present situation, but how? Is it not high time for us to start contributing not only economically, but socially too? At an age of 22 I have a very nice excuse – I still haven’t seen enough of the world, I’m just out of grad school - I may be right, I might be wrong, but one thing I know, I may be short on ideas but not on intent. I’m sure that opportunities will be aplenty, not exclusively for me but for everyone, its entirely upto us what we decide to do with that chance.
As the architect rightly puts in the MATRIX, the choice is yours.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Posted by
Deepak Verma |
1:05 PM, August 19, 2005
good ... it's nice to read that someone still care for this country .. where every one is just running for money and money . Here in this race we are ready to loose everything .we are ready to forget who we are ...whom we belong to ...where our roots lies ...right now we are just a wallet ..full with money or sometime empty ...but in all cases we are just a wallet .. empty or full
deepak
Posted by
Deepak Verma |
1:07 PM, August 19, 2005