Are You a Patriot??

The Merriam-Webster says Patriot (n.): one who loves his/ her country and supports its authority and interests. In the present day, keeping in mind the state of affairs, the dirty politics, it is impossible for a rational Indian to be loyal to the above definition. But a little devotion would not harm.

 Now coming to the point, how many of you at least stand up (leave alone in attention) when you hear The Anthem being played? How many of you remember those martyrs or the events or those dark frightful days of jallianwala bagh, those of the sepoy mutiny and many others which resulted in Independence (which of course does not hold even little significance anymore)? However, I do not intend to say that if you remember these, you are a patriot. NO. The question is ‘what do you do, at least something minimum to protect your country’s honor or to uplift its economy a little or anything that makes this country a little better to live’.

Are the National Holidays yet another off for a lazy day? If so, how will the coming generations know the significance of Indian History?? Just from HISTORY books? Why is that patriotism overflows just on the three National holidays? (FYI: Republic Day, Independence Day and Gandhi Jayanti).Television programmes showing anchors testing the knowledge of The Public about the National Emblems and Indian history, the answers for which they themselves would have learnt a few minutes before the programme, people giving interviews as though they have spent all of their  lives striving for the country’s development, pretence of closing down liquor shops that sell ample amount under the table even during these days, not comparable to the amount sold on the other days! Believe it or not (I was taken aback when I came to know about it), some states even have government run shops (Hats 0ff!). 

We show patriotism in arresting a citizen (read cartoonist) for he sketches the current state of Indian politics. We show patriotism in making the school kids march past the flag post in the scorching sun. We call people from other countries as racists when we refer our own people as gujju, madrasi, mallu, gulti and so on. We take bribes to complete our assigned work when compared to officials from other countries who need to be bribed only to deviate from their work. We are a nation full of talent, that goes abroad for higher studies and job opportunities because there isn’t sufficient here and one day bad mouth the same country that they were born in(I have seen people doing this). Every politician wants to make money so that, even his 50^th generation can have sufficient money to throw ravishing parties. No man seems to be honest in getting their work done, because you do not have enough time but ample money. We bring in reservations as a pact to improve economy and provide better opportunities but they are there for  entirely a different reason. Can you see any sanity in announcing reservations in grave yard??! Heights!

You need not be a Bhagat Singh, a Lal Bahadur Shastri to be called a patriot. You can still be that simple common man who works honestly, shows some actions of goodness towards fellow countrymen, teach his progeny not to grow up as a Hindu, Muslim or a Christian but as an Indian(the formers come after the person being Indian).Simple things done can bring in great changes.

Kal Ho Naa Ho...

The incense sticks burning, the room washed clean. Not a smile on any lips around. Nor is anyone interested in talking to others in the room. Nobody seems to encourage the child that’s trying to walk for the first time. A deep thought rather a reality that’s struck hard seems to affect every person in the room. It’s smell stronger than the incense sticks; it’s touch stronger than that of a mothers caring hands; it’s taste bitter than the neem; it’s sound harder than lightning to bear.But, when it decides to descend nobody can ask her to go back. THE ANGEL OF DEATH. Nobody has a taste of her till the time arrives and none can tell how it is after they taste it. 

“He/ She becomes ‘it’ in a fraction of second.”Life is so unpredictable. So too is death. As a matter of fact, every birth ends in death and when that person dies, as Paulo Coelho says in his ‘Winner Stands Alone’, when a person dies, an entire universe is lost with them. Their experiences of life, their knowledge about things is completely beyond reach; in other words nobody can ever feel or look at the world how the person himself/herself saw or felt.

 People say we never realize someone’s worth until they are gone. But that isn’t the fact. The truth is we miss them, we know them as they are, we know what they are, we know their worth even when they are there. But we do not express it since we know they are with us, they are around us; we assume, we take it for granted that things will never change. We never realize it is all matter of seconds. We never know whom we might lose the next second or whether we will be there that second to lose that someone.

 The absence of a person is felt for a while, but as the days pass ‘Time heals everything’. True, but the deeds that person did or the deeds you did to that person, will it ever fade away from your memory? You may say, to pretend, that you do not remember anything of that sort happening at all; when pointed out; but will you be able to answer the same when you yourself ask the question??

 Just think of that minute when your spouse is no more to say that you love her or him, your parents are gone before you were courteous and kind to them, a very close friend of yours is not here so that you can call them up to just say a ‘Hi’ to feel lighter (though you did not mention it when they were here).Just think of that moment. That moment when you will feel utter darkness around you even when the day is bright, things will really be heavy to bear. Life is a little shorter than you think. Live happily, let others live happily. Help if you can; do not trouble if you cannot. There will definitely be a point in life when you look back and replay your life. Try not to regret but rejoice at that moment.