India & You

As we stand on the brink of the 65^th anniversary of our nation, the overall atmosphere in country is a gloomy & apprehensive one. The only news people hear is either of a new scam surfacing, some acts of protests suppressed by a seemingly oppressive regime, rising prices and an uncertain future.

On the other hand there are partisaned experts who tell us that things are bad, but could’ve got worse. Almost every time loyal to the government, they go on to enumerate the things that are better in India as compared to ‘what could have been’. The cynics, as always, point out flaws even in them.

Virtually , all the slugfest is between the oppositions’ – “What should (& shouldn’t be done.” & the Govt.’s - “What is (& isn’t) being done?”. Both have their reasons, some are valid, others are not.

Hold on! Take a pause. Go into a brief flashback (I highlighted the word brief because I don’t like to linger in the past much). Think of those ideals which were the foundation of our freedom struggle. It was nothing but pure nationalism; putting the country & the society above self. (The cynics who say they are antiquated can close this window & go criticize something else elsewhere)

Now, look at yourself. Not the government, Not the politicians, not the bureaucracy, but you. Try to remind yourself when was the last time you skipped a red light, the last time you used your ‘contacts’ for a ‘favour’, the last time you threw that plastic cup out of the train, the last time you littered around and (in the same stride) complained about the filth around you. I don’t think your memory was strained much. What image of your ‘self’ comes to your mind? I know, a very common reply will be – “So what?”. Nothing, just mentioned

The point I am trying to make is YOU criticize the contractor for potholes and the corruption in roads. That contractor (as an individual) would complain about the Babu at some office for asking a bribe. That Babu would yell at someone for rash driving. That rash driver will complain about the lack of electricity (caused due to illegal usage of it) and the chain goes on. It never occurs to anyone that when we point fingers at others, they point their fingers at someone else and ultimately this circle ends in someone pointing a finger at us. The irony is all of us seem to be very patriotic during national festivals and feel proud of our nation, but do we act in a way to cherish those ideals, cherish freedom? Do we bring in ourselves the change we want to see? Do we make our country proud?

I am not exonerating the government on the weak governance or the massive amount of corruption it has indulged in. They are culpable and should be meted the maximum punishment under law. Neither am I questioning the common man’s right to speak out. The simple point I am suggesting is YES, things are bad, and almost all of us wants change. But our small daily deeds having their roots in the love of our nation and the concern for building a strong and healthy society which is civilized will atleast prevent things from worsening. It will spend a strong message to the corrupt and irresponsible people at the top, that the civil society is in ‘deed’ civil, the problem now lies entirely with them. And believe me these small acts will have a much larger impact than they are (under)estimated to have.

It might seem inappropriate to people but still, I would end by quoting JFK -

“Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country”

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J