Rethinking Independence!

Free from the bombardment of patriotic songs at railway stations, patriotic movies on TV and patriotic speeches on roadsides, on this 'Independent' evening, I took a stroll through the neighbourhood. Ans as I walked, I realised that the development and progress of the nation, as judged from my surroundings, is commendable.

Pic Credits: Wikipedia.

From the days I used to walk on these streets with a flag in my hand and pride in my heart to this day when I doubt the abstractions of nation and any kind of affinity towards it,these familiar streets have changed. The then old and small buildings are now humongous towers. Instead of a Maruti here or there, Hyundais and Skodas are parked everywhere. People are now using bigger phones, children are talking about Candy Crush and such. But, apart from all these, from the insides, have these people really changed?

To me, it seems, we are stuck. Change in any form, except for material, is absolutely lacking in the current order of things. Of course, there has been periodic changes or rather wavering in the political affiliations of different populace but in the true sense, it was never a progressive change. The ideological and intellectual development seems to be stunted as we are learning, preaching and practicing much about the same things in perhaps slightly different manners. An individual was afraid and is still afraid of an individual from another community. The threat of communal civil wars still looms above us.

I don't know if there can be any solution to this. And I don't expect much of spearheading efforts in that direction from our already directionless political leaders. I don't even know if the answer is political or something else altogether. Perhaps arts or philosophy or science might bring about a change but I don't think religion should play a role anymore. But these are all secondary, as a democracy, of which in the current state I am not a fan of, the change should begin from the people. And by definition, the people, the common man is not supposed to even think about all these things!

So, I think its time we redefine everything. Let's begin with redefining Independence itself. Why should it be treated only as Independence from foreign rulers? Perhaps it should be treated as something more. In pure Indian terms it could mean 'moksha' or 'nirvana' or liberation from our previous self. Why are we so obsessed with constancy in ideas when everything else around us is changing so rapidly? Why can't we think and practice newer ideas?  And by newer ideas, I don't mean Westernisation. I don't mind being Indianised or Westernised. All I crave now is change- a change from the inside.

So, I wish, all of you a belated Independence Day, but let the morrow that rises be independent of the day that set and let new seeds of change be sown and let not the fear of the unexpected stop us from marching. Let's just unstuck ourselves!

Minority Report!

Democracy is a game where majority always wins. It is when the majority always remains the majority that this game becomes a death trap for the minorities. In India, majority and minority are based on religion and birth and as such they remain permanently in their respective circles which means a person born to a minority section would always lose. To counter this has been the reservations and various other measures that have been instituted in the Constitution.

While all this may remain good on paper, the reality outside is changing. For the first time after Independence a party that has been explicitly pro-majority has come to power. Moreover Union Ministers like Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti is openly addressing minority communities as ‘Haraamzadon’ or ‘illegitimate offspring’, religious processions are being blocked, Churches are being burnt, youths are being murdered in the name of religion and all that our respected Prime Minister could do was deliver a speech on condemning communal violence on the occasion of Independence Day.

The identity of India lies in its harmony among diversity. It is the essence that has kept the spirit of the nation going. But when a Government which shares ideologies with extremist Hindutva groups, and when its Ministers are openly condescending upon minorities, this identity of India is going get tainted. Will Modi let that happen or not? Only time will tell.