Today is 15th of August. I am in Singapore – watching “Swades”. One of my favorite movies! I must have watched it at least 5-6 times till now but every time I watch it I get deeply touched. Especially when I see 2 scenes – one of the song “yeh tara who tara” and the second when Shahrukh goes to Haridas’s house to ask for the rent. After 62 years of Independence, India has gone too ahead in some areas – technology, IT, aerospace, nuclear, Bollywood.... However, in many other areas India is still what it was in 1947! Even today the farmers have to depend on the monsoon for their harvest. For a country which receives ample rainfall which can be stored in huge quantities and used effectively. There is absolutely no awareness at the government level and hence at the people level for the conservation of natural resources. Water, though becomes a very critical resource when rainfall is scarce, is wasted and used carelessly all the year round – whether in cities or in villages. There is utter lack of awareness on public hygiene. Roads are still used as a place to litter and spit and piss. Then when situations like swine flu occur, everybody is forced to stay home; schools, colleges, public places have to be closed down as are now in Pune and Mumbai. Only because of the swine flu, I can imagine how much peaceful this 15th August would be in India. There would be no loudspeakers and mandaps in every cross-road leading to a chaotic traffic situation, sound pollution and political power shows! What sort of civil education do we give to our new generation? What they learn is from their parents – jumping traffic signals is OK; honking all the way is OK; driving in no-entries is OK; Civics has 25 marks in school curriculum and hence the awareness of civil education is also just 25%! India is a country where democracy is abused. Anybody can stage violent protests against anything and anyone. The ruling party makes a rule and the opposition party will go on a rampage burning buses, cars, breaking glasses of toll booths and what not. Common Indians consider that all this is political and they should not get involved in all this but rather stay away from it. They do not realize even today that it is all their money which is being wasted. I just saw “Delhi 6”. It shows the reality of today’s India which is still too much drowned deep into religion, caste and creed. We just cannot get out of it! The one important reason why US has been so successful though being a democracy is that there is not too much clinging to old things – tradition, culture, religion and so on. They have more dreams and less nostalgia. Indians take pride in telling how Ayurveda has many things which modern science has, Indian astronomy and mathematics was very advanced in the past, Vedas have all the knowledge of the universe, Sanskrit is a perfect language and so on…How many Indians take up research in Vedas, Sanskrit or Ayurveda? We are so much drowned in our past, in our roots but make no effective progress with that heritage. We accept things as they are to an excessive level. It is the “chalta hain” attitude that takes charge of our minds. Europeans, Americans, Japanese say “nahi chalega”. They see to it that anything that is incorrect, imperfect, against established laws is not tolerated. They strive for perfection and improvement. We as Indians have become so much low on our expectations on the quality of public life that we are happy if the potholes on the road don’t increase in size and numbers this monsoon, the power-cuts are not more than 4 hours a day, gas cylinder can be obtained within 4 days and so on. Never ever as Indians we collectively strive and put pressure on the governing bodies to have “pot-hole free roads”, “24 hours electric supply”, “smooth traffic”, “clean and green surroundings”. We have accepted the conditions that we live in and then keep on saying “nothing good will happen to this country”. How will it happen? If we are the ones who have decided not to make it happen? We still elect politicians who are corrupt and more than that illiterate. The worst part is the literate voters don’t even vote. This is a country where gay law becomes a national news… as if all other problems in the country have vanished years ago. At least about 10% of the citizens from big Indian cities go abroad at least once in their life. But the moment they land back in India, they start throwing rubbish on the roads, violating traffic rules, discriminating based on caste, creed, religion. When will this change? Not when the government changes but when the average Indian changes. When he becomes aware of his rights and respects others’ rights too. When he understands his duties in making the country progressive and a "developed" country in all respects! When he revolts against the system and compels the rulers to give him a better infrastructure, better standard of living, a better life…..Celebrating 15th August by running the same old patriotic songs in loud voice polluting the air will not make India what it should become and will not give the Indians what they deserve. Change is the only thing that prevails and that is needed now in India……………….in a big way ... but starting with a small change at individual level....
Jai Hind!!
Atul...
150809 Singapore
Jai Hind!!
Atul...
150809 Singapore