I woke up to the news of molestation & groping of a woman, in public (which just walked by), in one of the states in the country. I went out of the house, to get milk, into the lane past a stinking, overflowing dumpster and drainage, stray dogs & flies abound. I got ready and got onto my bike to go on ‘pothole-ridden-road-crush-my-bones’ journey. Suddenly, a bike rashly took over me and when I shouted out to him to go slow, he stopped his bike and patiently picked up a fight with me, using the choosiest of ‘gaalis’ (being rude is in fashion these days), oblivious to fact that it was his mistake, and that he was also jamming the traffic. After I inhaled enough pollutants to reduce a day’s life in me, I scrambled to leave the main roads to take a by-lane through the university I studied. I came across an agitation on ‘sons-of-the-soil’ notion by the students. They said I didn’t belong here (but I thought, being an Indian gave me the right to ‘be’ wherever I want to be, but, obviously times are a’ changing, and I was out of sync with my times). I move on, and drove past a political party house littered with banners of progress and promises of prosperity, remembering this was the same party accused of scams (obviously the cattle didn’t need the grain to eat, they did) the last year. I then passed the assembly which remembers the father of the nation only three days a year and that too because ‘he still sells’ (even today). I halted at a traffic junction and saw an old lady barely able to get up, begging for a morsel of food to get her through the day — we all gave her a rupee to ease our guilt ridden selves. The govt. hospital I crossed on my way was already teeming with bleeding patients standing in line for checkup as doctors fought for rights to boycott the mandate rule (by the govt.), to serve in rural areas. I then travelled through a communally sensitive area filled with cops to prevent any untoward incident. Something reminded me of an argument I had with a good friend of mine over the necessity of violence, which I lost (I supported non-violence, if you were wondering). By now, the journey took a toll on me, and I stopped at a cafe where a ten year old boy served me with tea and biscuits. I wondered what was his future. I wondered what was my future. And, I still wonder what is my country’s future.
I finally reached my destination — a flag hoisting ceremony at our office. Its Independence Day today. No matter how happy & proud I’m, I cannot shake away the feeling that we let all our selves down as a nation. Swami Vivekananda once remarked education is the only redemption of our country. I strongly believed that, until I saw my share of educated illiterates. Now, I feel ‘responsibility — individual responsibility’ is the only redemption for our nation. We need to realise that cleaning our house does not mean throwing our dump into our neighbour’s house. We need to realise that when we employ a child in our house, we deny him the right to education, and are limiting him to a life of abject poverty. We need to realise that there is enough of unconscious hate in this world and that we need not add to it in the name of caste, creed, religion and patriotism. Governments, political parties need to embrace the fact that this state/country is ours, and looting it is looting each other of possible happiness & progress. I just hope it doesn’t take another 300 years to get there. As the flag unruffled, I said a silent prayer
Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high
Where knowledge is freeWhere the world has not been broken up into fragments
By narrow domestic wallsWhere words come out from the depth of truth
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfectionWhere the clear stream of reason has not lost its way
Into the dreary desert sand of dead habitWhere the mind is led forward by thee
Into ever-widening thought and actionInto that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake
Happy Independence Day, India
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