Here is another year of pleasure and convenience of living in an independent country. As I was born into a free nation, so could never actually appraise how much struggle and sacrifice it required to achieve that status: INDEPENEDENT INDIA. It was just occasional boiling of the blood while watching the tortures, exploitation, dishonor, and injustice done to the nation and its people in the movies and TV serials. Then the sudden surge of feelings, the call, and the concern would die down, eventually be forgotten with the burden of the day’s business. Such is our love for the nation, and I guess it is for everything and for everyone. Unless we pay a price with something very dear, we do not learn to value anything in life. Freedom is such a pursuit, if you get it without paying a price, it is ignored, mismanaged, misused/abused…
Then again a question, what can we do? What can we change? Kya kar sakte hai? Jhanda garna hai kya? Ya ukharna hai? Kuchh nehi hone wala is desh ka. Yes, I am not here to tickle the sentiments to get your blood to the boiling point temporarily. I know it never works in long term…but have always worked for dirty politics. Janta ka sentiment has always been their most powerful weapon… pessimists are right. If this is what we mean by the love for the nation, nothing will happen but us, the people of India, being used as the political party’s weapon against us.
That is what has been happening for decades now post independence. Pre-independence we had good leaders, on whom we could trust….now there is actually no one we can trust. Even I was never confident enough to vote a party till today. What do we do? Continue to live like this, now as we have adapted a life of indifference and unhealthy consumerist competition. Wait for a leader like Anna Hazare to save us, then again breakdown with his fall? Yeh khel kab tak chalega? Or this is how it is supposed to be? When I see Zhanda phailana, Flag hoisting by the corrupt and influential politicians, it makes me sick. (Am I getting too emotional? I guess I am. But this is true. And this feeling too subsides with time ;) )
I guess not. No, this is not the way. This is not how it is supposed to be. Kanoon hath main nehi lete, lekin apni khud ki zimmedari ko lena hi hota hai. I have always believed in doing my bit for the country, for the earth, as a human being. Taking charge of your life and responsibilities does not actually take tremendous effort that could make you believe that it is almost impossible. It is a bent of mind, not being told what to do, having faith on your own judgment and being confident about it. But unfortunately, we are not habituated with this kind of thoughts followed by actions. We like it to be told what to do, or follow the mass. Independent thinking process is not cultivated and practiced now in our society. There are influences of people around us and the media, who fed our mind with half-true/biased, processed pack of information to get their desired impact on us. You see, we are nothing but tools for them…they play with our mind and control it.
You know it all, still ignore the facts. Even I do the same…ignore or put my mind in a shell. But over a period of time, I have developed a process of doing my bit. Today let me share it with you. Again, I am not asking/ expecting/trying to influence you to follow my ways. Just urging you to create your one, that is unique and logical to you.
As a parent I try cultivate independent thinking in my son. How I do it? Well there are many subtle ways…depending on the type of the child. If you wish to do the same, start by understanding your kid.
I try to avoid the simple corrupt practices in our system that we have been using as shortcuts. I would rather take a long route and save my soul. But that does not mean that I never had to compromise…I did compromise in a few occasions. But later, I did something to counter those actions. Fighting and survival strategies are unique and developed by your own logic and abilities.
I have an immune thought process, which cannot be influenced by media. After seeing very closely, how we receive news, who regulate those information channels…I have developed that immune system in me. I cannot be fed with any news, until I have seen 360 degree angles of it. This is a tough and time-taking practice which of course hinders me to come to a final conclusion. But still, they cannot use me as their tool, against my own people, my own country.
These are my small ways to do my bit. I know I will not bring a BIG CHANGE in the system. But I am sure to create some ripples that will help bring some positive actions and reactions. That makes a difference. And if all of us start doing our bit, the amount of this ripple effect will be bigger. And CHANGE which actually is a change in true sense, comes unseen, unheard, without much ado. We do not see the revolution or the process; we see the CHANGE that is there to stay. ..
Can we be such a race of people who were independent in true sense, and held their heads high with the values of truth, justice, fearlessness, and confidence? Yes of course we can, let us start by stop being indifferent.
Happy Independence Day...Happy Independent Mind, Happy Independent Life...
Jai Hind!